The Forgotten Child
by 23rd-daughter
Summary: Demigods are magnets for trouble and Nico is no exception. Ancient forces are rising and mortals and immortals alike must work together to stop it including a mysterious being unlike any other known as the Gray Lady. First Fanfic. TLH never happened.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1. Please review! This is my first story so I know it needs work. Please review!**

Annabeth leaned back in the booth, the worn leather seat smelling faintly of smoke and spilled beer. Her open note pad sat on top of a stack of textbooks, turned the second to last page. She mentally added buying new supplies to her miles long mental to do list. College and the architecture of Olympus ate through a lot of paper and pens.

"When are you heading back up to Olympus?" Rachel's voice broke her concentration. Glancing up from the blank page she looked at the twenty one year old prophetess. "Hmm?"

"What's wrong?" Percy glanced at his girlfriend, before grabbing another cheese covered nacho. "Just thinking. I need to order more limestone for Aphrodite's temple." Percy nodded, a slightly glazed look moving over his eyes. He never lasted long once Annabeth started talking architecture. "Ignore him." Rachel caught her attention again. Annabeth opened her mouth to reply but stopped as Rachel's eyes glazed over. Annabeth had known the girl long enough to recognize an oncoming prophecy when she saw one. "The forgotten child." Rachel's voice came out as a hiss before she collapsed like a puppet with cut strings, falling out of the booth.

Percy reached her, his fighter's instinct taking over and catching her before her head hit the floor. He looked up at Annabeth, Rachel unconscious and barely breathing in his arms, "That wasn't a prophecy."

Annabeth shook her head in shock, "We need to get her to Olympus." Percy nodded and picked up Rachel like a small child. She looked like a broken doll in his arms. They hurried from the restaurant, Annabeth making excuses to the few good Samaritans who tried to help. The grabbed one of New York's ever present yellow cabs and shot towards the Empire State Building.

Nico slid to a stop and shut of his bike, ignoring the stares of the people around him. He knew he looked out of place in the respectable Chicago neighborhood on a black motorcycle wearing dark leather a combat boots but he frankly didn't give a damn about what any of these people thought. He was baking in the August sun but he hadn't exactly planned to be here.

Five hours ago he had been in Elysium sparring with Achilles. One of the few benefits of being the son of Hades. He slid his helmet off and rested it on the handle bars, looking up at the sleek brick facades of the apartment buildings that made up the neighborhood.

It didn't make any sense. Five of his father's creatures had been destroyed in a five block radius around here. But no known demigods lived in the area. The mystery was intriguing but Nico simply didn't want to have to deal with the mess.

He hesitated, feeling the currents in the air around him. A new trick he had developed. If he concentrated long enough he could sense the life energy of the people around him. There. Something not quite human was in the building half a block up. He slid off his bike and activated the spells that secured it. It was his baby and anyone who fucked with it would die horrifically.


	2. Chapter 2

**Please read and review! Any advice is appreciated :D I promise there will be action soon**

**In Chicago:**

Kaie glanced up from her newest Amazon buy. Someone had set off one of her wards. A demigod was in her neighborhood. She didn't like demigods in her neighborhood.

She stood slowly and stretched before moving to the window and scanning the sidewalk outside. No one caught her eye till he turned the corner.

Tall with spiky black hair and skin that could stand to see more of the sun. He looked to be in his early twenties but carried himself with the stance of a fighter. Kaie couldn't stop herself by appreciating how well he filled out his faded jeans and worn leather jacket that must be painful in the August heat.

She tried to place which god or goddess was his parent. Zeus, Hera, and Artemis were all immediately eliminated. It couldn't be Poseidon. She had made sure to know what the son of Poseidon looked like. She had to be careful now that someone alive had Achilles's curse. To steady for Hermes. Not handsome enough for Aphrodite or Apollo. Too handsome for Hephaestus. He moved like a fighter so her best bet was Ares or one of the lesser gods or goddesses. He looked too brutal to be one of Athena's.

She shrugged and moved into the kitchen, a box of doughnuts she had yesterday beckoned. The demigod was coming to her, no reason to worry...yet.

**On Olympus: **

"What did she say exactly?" Apollo was annoyed. First those idiots in San Fran were unable to truly comprehend his lyrical genius now his Delphi wasn't working properly.

He crossed his arms, a knot of annoyance forming between his eyes. "The forgotten child." One of Athena's daughters let out a small sigh, repeating the words for the fourth time.

Apollo wasn't sure which annoyed him more, the fact he didn't know what that meant or the fact that Athena's daughter had the audacity to be annoyed at him.

**Back in Chicago:**

Nico entered the building, wrapping the Mist around him so he could move unseen by the cameras that littered the hallways. He let the tendril of energy guide him, surprised by its strength. He stopped, and apartment door blocking his path.

He thought briefly about walking away, telling his father he hadn't been able to find anything. His survival instinct won over. Going back to Hades without an answer wasn't an option.

Three bronze sixes hung from the wood of the door almost as if telling him this was the right apartment. Nico gritted his teeth. It was probably just coincidence but he was a demigod. For demigods it was rare for anything to be _just_ a coincidence.

He rapped his knuckles against the wood once, hoping no one could answer and he could simply break in and get answers that way. Following human laws was a pain in the ass. The door swung open and he cursed his bad luck as his gaze raked over the woman standing in the opening.

She was about his age, tall for a woman, a few inches short of his six foot two. A dark green tank top and black yoga pants revealed a slim body with elegant rather than trashy curves. Muscles marked her as someone who worked out regularly, real workouts not the junk dance workouts most women did these days.

His gaze was drawn to a strange silver tattoo that wrapped around her left upper arm. Dark red hair fell in loose waves to the middle of her back.

"Yeah?"

She snapped a piece of gum annoyingly as he dark gray eyes met his. The unique shade stirred up a memory but he couldn't pin point where he had seen them before. There was no fear visible, strange for someone confronted with a strange person at their door.

Nico realized that he didn't have an excuse for being here. He fumbled mentally and failed to come up with anything half convincing.

"What ever you're selling I'm not interested in. Nice jacket though." The woman interrupted his train of thought before shutting the door in his face.

Nico turned away, unsure of what to do. All he knew now was that there was a woman who had more power than any demigod he had ever met living in the same area as several creature deaths.

This definitely wasn't a coincidence. Nico glared at the sky as he exited the apartment building, silently cursing his lack of answers.


	3. Chapter 3

**Please Read and Review!**

**Chicago:**

Kaie closed the door, a vicious crooked smile spreading across her face. His eyes gave away his parentage. The sole child of Hades in her neighborhood. Things were becoming curiouser and curiouser.

She needed to figure out what was going on. First the creatures now this.

The metal imbedded beneath her skin burned sharply for a heartbeat. Damn the woman for putting the mind implant in such a inconvenient place. She did have a point though. Especially after what happened last time.

Kaie's fingers pulled the blinds away from the window, night was falling quickly now. She needed to get ready. She walked into her bedroom, the thick carpet soft under her barefeet as she glided around the furniture.

She opened the ancient wood chest at the food of her bed and ran a finger over the lid. A seam flashed gold and the top slid open.

She quickly pulled out her knives, thick leather pants and cuirass that would stop anything short of a bullet. Creatures had been attacking people in her neighborhood the last four nights. She would not allow that.

Nico waited under a tree a block down the street from the apartment building. He had spoken to his father briefly via Iris message. He had ordered Nico to stay and observe.

Nico let out a sigh and leaned back against one of the trees the city had planted in an attempt to make the neighborhood look nicer. Nico could already feel it beginning to wither and die though. It had two months in it left. Tops.

Night fell and darkness enveloped the world. Nico loved the darkness. It meant safety and fun. Sliding between the shadows he moved back closer to the building knowing that no one could see him not unless he allowed it.

He was stronger than any other demigod child. Except Percy. Percy was the unreachable goal.

Nico relaxed slightly, content in being surrounded by the hum of the city.

A hiss whispered in the air. Nico wasn't sure how he had heard it over the rush of the city but he had and more importantly, he knew what it was.

Lamia.

One of the half snake half woman monsters his father controlled. He focused, trying to pinpoint the original location of the sound but it had been to short and had bounced off too many surfaces.

A scream echoed in the darkness a moment later and he shadow jumped, following the louder sound.

Still hidden in the darkness, he saw the lamia had cornered two teenage boys behind a dumpster. Just as he started to move, a shadow dropped from the fifth story roof.

Light from a dim street lamp reflected off silver blades as the woman landed lightly on the concrete next to the lamia, pulling it away from the teens in the same swift move.

In a heartbeat, before Nico or the creature had fully recognized the action she twisted the lamia around and slit its throat in a swift strike.

The monster exploded in a golden shower of dust and the woman froze for a moment, head cocked slightly to the side. She moved after a moment, sheathing the long, slightly curved knife on her right thigh. Nico caught the silhouette of a twin strapped to her other thigh.

As he watched as she knelt in front of the cowering boys.

The tattoo on her arm flashed brightly for a split second and seemed to twist around her upper arm. Nico was reminded of the movement an anaconda made as it strangled it's prey. Slowly tightening till the life was extinguished .

Nico's breath caught in surprise as mist streamed from her palm as she held it in front of the boys. Her lips moved, she spoke too quietly for Nico to hear, and the boys stood. They walked calmly out of the alley, talking about a video game the older one had just bought.

Nico stayed still in the shadows, trying to figure out the parentage of the girl.

"I know you're there son of Hades."

She broke his concentration as she stood slowly and turned, her cold eyes looking straight at him regardless of the fact he should be invisible to anyone including demigods.

He walked out of the darkness, unsurprised when she didn't react. Who the hell was she?

"Are you responsible for all the recent killings in this neighborhood?"

"Yes,"

She shrugged upon seeing his reaction. "They went after civilians. I do not allow that in my neighborhood."

Nico nodded as if he understood, keeping his body loose.

She relaxed slightly when he didn't react and he used that moment to lash out.

He grabbed her elbow, shadow jumping them both. In the second before true darkness enveloped them both, Nico would later swear he saw fear in her eyes.

They appeared in Hades throne room and the woman lashed out, fingernails tearing open the flesh around Nico's eye. A scant centimeter spared his eye from meeting a miserable fate as blood began to flow.

"What is this!" Hades half stood from his throne as Persephone looked on in surprise. The flow of spirits around the room stopped, all watching.

Nico flipped the woman around, pinning her to the ground on her stomach brutally, holding her there with a knee.

Normally he didn't fight girls but Hades that hurt!

"She's the one that has been killing your people father."

People was a loose term but Nico knew better than to call them monsters to his father's face. And to a certain extent no all that dwelt in Tartarus were evil, they just lived by different rules with different priorities.

Beneath Nico, the woman ceased to struggle. She shook her head slightly, moving a loosened strain of hair from where it had fallen across her face.

Her gaze met Hades' for a split second then she disappeared.

Nico fell forward as empty air appeared where she had just been, face smashing into the smooth stone of the floor. Above him, Hades swore violently.

**Olympus:**

Percy looked up as a god teleported into the throne hall. When he saw who it was he jumped back based on pure instinct. Hades stalked past him without a glare, strange even by Olympic standards.

"Hades, how dare you..."

Zeus stood from his throne, snarling, lightning flickering in his dark gray eyes as thunder rippled shook the foundation of Olympus itself.

"She is back." Hades voice was deadly serious. Zeus' eyes widened a fraction and the other gods and goddesses in the room fell silent.

Percy felt himself be thrown in the air and he landed outside the throne room with a thump, skidding on the smooth pearly marble Annabeth had chosen when rebuilding this section of Olympus.

Stunned, he stood slowly, making it to his feet as Annabeth walked up, supporting a wobbly Rachel.

Percy had known the gods for too long to be insulted. All he wanted now was to get off Olympus before one of the gods decided he was somehow responsible for whatever had happened. They always did.

"Ready to go?" He looked at Rachel who shook her head.

"They're going to need you in a minute. She told Percy quietly, earning a confused look from both demigods.

"What's going on?" Annabeth spoke after a moment.

Rachel shrugged. "I have no clue and for some reason, that scares the crap out of me."

After several moments Hermes appeared in front of the demigods and Delphi.

"In."

He disappeared and they walked into the throne room.

Annabeth had redesigned it using elements of an amphitheater. The gods' hearth sat at center of the floor, Hestia sat by it in her adult form while Hades stood near her. The twelve thrones stood in a wide semi circle around it while the lesser thrones rose upward from there, filling level after level of the arch.

Percy couldn't even see where they ended. The room was fuller than he had ever seen it.

Hades stood by Hestia who was in her grown form by the hearth. While the others sat upon their thrones.

The room was silent as Percy, Annabeth, and Rachel knelt in front of the King of the Gods.

"Rise." His voice was quiet and contemplative. Percy had learned from past experiences and held his tongue, waiting.

They didn't have long to wait. After a moment Nico appeared by Hades who spoke quickly and quietly to his son.

Dried blood coated fresh gashes around his right eye. Percy wondered if Nico could even see out of it. What had happened?

Silence fell again as they apparently waited for someone else broken only by the tense crackling of the fire in the hearth. Even the lesser gods high above were silent.

Light bloomed in the doorway and a group of campers from Camp Halfblood appeared.

Percy recognized them as the head councilors of each cabin as well as a handful of others. They were silent, many of the younger ones had never been on Olympus before, and were simply in awe.

"Sorry for the delay Lady Artemis."

A voice Percy recognized broke the silence. The hunters of Artemis walked forward from behind Percy lead by Thalia, daughter of Zeus.

Athena stood and walked forward, acting as the voice of the gods.

"You are here because there is an individual we need found. She is hidden to us and must be found as quickly as possible."

"Who?" Percy interrupted against his best intentions.

Athena nodded to Hades who placed a hand on Nico's forehead.

In the brief instant before anything happened, Percy realized how exhausted Nico was beneath the blood and tough guy persona he wore around most people.

A picture formed above the hearth. A woman, in her early twenties. Tall, muscular, long red hair, Percy memorized her appearance knowing he would need the knowledge.

The picture changed to the same woman, hair bound back wearing what looked like armor, wielding a wicked looking blade against a lamia.

The vision blurred and disappeared as Nico dropped to the ground like a rock, unconscious. His body vanished, teleported somewhere by Hades who turned his attention back to the room.

"Find her." Zeus' voice was emotionless. "Perseus, Thalia, you are in charge of organizing your forces. Once Hades' son awakens he can give you information on her previous location and anything else he learned."

The world tilted and the group appeared in the dining pavilion of Camp Halfblood.

**So? What do you think. Please let me know if you like where the story is going. I promise there will be more action soon.**


	4. Chapter 4

**On Olympus:**

Nico opened his eyes, taking in the blurry ceiling of his cabin at camp. He swung his legs over the bed and tried to stand. His head hit the ground as his legs gave out.

"Nico?" Annabeth stood in the doorway, a concerned look on her face. She knew better than to help when he was like this. He was too independent to rely on anyone easily.

"Give me a minute." He leaned against the side of his bed, head resting on the palms of his hands as he fought not to black out.

If it had been anyone else who saw him this weak he would have been pissed but Annabeth was...Annabeth. A big sister in every sense of the word.

"How many times did you shadow jump?" Nico tried to remember and failed. Stupid redhaired bitch.

He stood and walked to a World War II soldier's trunk and pulled out a dark gray t-shirt. He caught sight of his face in the mirror and realized he looked hungover as hell. He took the time to clean the dried blood on his face, the gashes weren't deep enough to worry about but the location was troublesome.

"What'd I miss?" Annabeth looked up from her Ipad when he spoke "Gods called in everyone on this. They want this person found now."

They walked to the dining hall, Nico tried to ignore the stares directed at him by some of the head councilors. He wasn't at camp much. Usually only when he had to drag Percy into something or needed healing but most of them had seen him before. He realized they were staring at the gashes on his face, surprised that he was hurt or worried about the girl? Nico wasn't sure.

"Head Councilors and a few others know the specifics but others have caught on that something's up."Annabeth told him as they entered the pavilion.

"How?" Nico was annoyed that other people were getting dragged into this. He was the one who fucked up and he would take care of it. Soon as he figured out who the hell the girl was.

"Hunters are here." Annabeth told him as they neared the man table. Sure enough, Thalia sat at the main table with the head councilors who had been talking quietly till Nico and Annabeth entered.

"Nico." Percy offered the son of Hades a cup of coffee. Nico accepted gratefully, feeling slightly more alive after draining it.

"Who is she?" Clarisse, daughter of Ares, sat at the table, combat boot covered feet resting on the table balancing her weight on two of the chair's legs. A large hunting knife spun between her fingers.

"No idea." Nico collapsed onto one of the benches.

The knife clattered to the floor as Clarrise straightened. "What the fuck zombie boy. The Gods want us to find her. You're the only one of us who knows anything."

Nico filled the group in quickly, explaining why he had been there and what had unfolded. The demigods sat in silence for a moment.

"One thing I don't get." Percy leaned against the wall, staring off at the Manhattan Sound as he thought before looking at Nico. "Why would a couple monsters getting killed make Hades send you to investigate?"

"They weren't killed Percy." Nico spoke slowly as if explaining it to a small child. "They were destroyed. Obliterated. Wiped of the face of the fucking planet. They aren't regenerating _ever_."

The pavilion erupted into chaos as demigod tried to speak over one another. "Quiet!" Annabeth finally reigned them in. "That's not possible Nico." "It is." He replied grimly before conceding, "It just takes something like Zeus' Master Bolt."

**Chicago:**

Kaie stumbled as her home materialized around her. She fell to one knee as exhaustion threatened to overwhelm her. The silver design on her arm burned. Fighting back the grayness, she rushed into her bedroom, throwing cloths, cash, and power bars into a bag.

She had to leave. If the son of Hades was still conscious he could be leading the Gods back here even now. She left the apartment a few minutes later. Nothing but a set of keys and a backpack with her.

She had known this would happen one day but leaving behind everything she had broke something in her. She didn't even bother to lock the apartment door behind her. It wouldn't stop them anyway once they got here.

Rushing down the street she paused. A sleek black bike was parked by the curb. A silver skull and crossbones decal was on the side of the engine.

Kaie knew she was grinning maliciously as she pushed through the wards meant to protect the bike. Normally she would never dream of damaging a piece of art like this but that bastard deserved some pain of his own.

**An Hour later:**

Nico stood in the living room of the woman's apartment. It was small but most people would call it cozy. There was a distinct lack of personal objects. No family photos or knickknacks.

"Hard drive's been wiped." Thalia stood in the doorway that lead to the bedroom, a silver laptop tucked her arm.

"Got another one." A blond hunter whose name Nico didn't know pulled a butterfly knife from a box of cereal. "How many does that make?" Thalia asked as she caught the knife as it was tossed to her and dropped it on the coffee table. It clinked against the assorted weapons, mostly blades, that already lay there. Nico scanned the pile. "Twenty three."

"Damn." Percy whistled softly from the doorway. "She thought something was coming for her." "To be far, something is. Namely us."

Nico scanned the room, looking for something, anything while ignoring the continuing conversation between Percy and Thalia. He wasn't going to loose any more face around these prissy little hunters.

There. The rug was compressed slightly along the wall though nothing was around it. Nico crouched and ran a hand along the smooth paint covered surface. His finger caught on a tiny groove. He pulled on it and a small door opened out of the wall.

"Nice Nico." Thalia came along side him, scanning the contents of the small cabinet hidden there. Fake ID's, case, maps, and other loose objects filled it.

One of the maps caught Nico's eye and he pulled it out, unrolling it on the kitchen counter. A simple map of the United States, Un-unique except for four red dots placed almost as if at random.

Nico glanced up at Thalia, a sly grin spread across her face. "Girls." The hunters spread around the apartment looked up at once. "Time to go hunting."

"Hey Nico!" Clarisse was outside the apartment, acting as a lookout for cops or anything else.

"Yeah?" Nico yelled out the window, ignoring the harsh glare thrown his way by Thalia. "This your bike?" "Crap!" Nico raced out of the apartment pissed at himself for forgetting about his ride.

He skidded to a stop and let out a string of swears crude enough to earn him a raised eyebrow from Clarisse Queen of Cussing.

The both tires were slashed and melted to the pavement. Beyond salvaging in any form. Closer examination revealed that the key slot had been melted shut somehow.

Nico couldn't help but wonder if the girl carried around a blowtorch to go with her knives.

**Please Review! Just out of curiosity what are y'all thinking Kaie is? Non existent cookies to whoever comes closest! **


	5. Chapter 5

**Camp HalfBlood:**

The chosen demigod groups assembled in the dining pavilion a few hour later. The map was spread out on the center table. Five metal circles about 8 inches in diameter lay by it. Five thick metal cuffs, one for each circle, lay beside the map also.

Percy commanded the group's attention and received it easily. Nico could see that Percy was going to become a world class leader, even more so that he already was. He may act like an idiot a great deal of the time but the younger campers looked up to him as a legend.

Nico on the other hand stood at the fringe of the group, included but on the outside, his inevitable lot in life. He wasn't bitter about it, he enjoyed it usually but sometimes it was too much.

"...splitting up." Nico's attention broke and he caught the last few words of Percy's talk. He mentally smacked himself. He needed all the advantages he could get so he could clean this mess up quickly. Not listening was a stupid mistake.

"...hunters are splitting up into two groups and taking Atlanta and Orlando. Apollo cabin you've got San Francisco. Hermes cabin, you've got D.C. Ares cabin split up and go with each group. This woman can take down lamia in seconds. We don't know for sure but she could easily do the same to us. Questions?" Percy finished, surveying the group like a general commanding his army.

"Yeah." Clarisses' voice came from the back of the group. "What the hell are those." She pointed to the objects on the table.

Percy grinned broadly, loosing all sense of the command he had just held.

"I've got no clue. Annabeth?" His girlfriend looked up distractedly, affection in her eyes until she realized that everyone was watching them.

Nico found himself smiling but stopped himself before anyone could notice.

"We don't know what gifts or capabilities this person has and apparently neither do the gods." Annoyance coated Annabeth's words. "The collars snap open when triggered by a demigod they are keyed to. Delivered to us straight from Hephaestus' workshop by Hermes. They are powerful to block the talents of anyone short of Zeus himself. We know the girl can teleport somehow so get the collar on her as soon as possible. The cuffs are for if she proves even more difficult. They expand and cut off movement of hands and lower arms and are only to be used if absolutely necessary."

Percy spoke after the information sunk into the campers "It is quiet possible she is simply scared and none of this is necessary. However considering how freaked out the gods are..." Thunder rumbled menacingly. Percy simply rolled his eyes. "...better safe than sorry." He finished.

The groups split, each grabbing a collar and cuff before walking off towards the cars Chiron had made available.

"Nico."

Percy stood with Annabeth and to Nico's surprise Clarisse. "Baltimore." Nico nodded in agreement to his assignment. "You coming with me?" He asked Clarisse as he grabbed a cuff and collar set.

"No. She's staying here to act as back up for whoever finds her first." Percy answered for the daughter of Ares. Nico glanced up in confusion.

"Rachel has a bad feeling but can't get anything specific." Percy said as a way of explaining. Nico shrugged and shadow jumped.

**Somewhere: **

A desolate warehouse appeared around Kaie as she collapsed. Her body couldn't take much more. Her left side was on fire, the heat radiating out from the design. The sounds of traffic swirled in the air around her as everything went black.

Nico stood on the roof of the tallest building in Baltimore. He didn't know its name just that it was the tallest and that's all that mattered.

His feet were on the edge, the toes of his worn combat boots hung over the void below. Darkness broken only by the lights framing the skyscrapers. The city slept blissfully unaware of the dangers of the world. His world.

Air rushed around him, whipping his coat around him, howling.

It was times like this that he could actually understand how demigods were expected to believe that nature was a living being. Gaia or whatever. Thankfully for his sanity, Nico didn't find himself in these positions often.

He inhaled deeply, the scent of trash, metal, grease, sweat, and every other smell that embodied a city overwhelmed him. He pushed that back, focusing on the little threads of life leading to each of the people below him. It might take him hours but if she was here, in this city, Nico would find her.

**Thanks for reading! Please Read and Review. I'm really interested to see what y'all think of the direction I'm taking the story**.


	6. Chapter 6

Kaie's eyes flew open. The concrete beneath her was warm.

She blinked, eyes searching for a window. Light streamed in through the dirt covered glass. The sun was well above the building. How long had she been unconscious?

She cussed and stood, thankful she hadn't lost her bag while porting. She had to be crazy to have ported in such shape.

She started to scold herself the stopped as her memory came back. Not crazy, just chased. They would find her soon.

She didn't know how but they would find a way. She had to force herself to keep moving. She exited the abandoned warehouse quickly, paying attention to her surroundings.

As she approach the street, a shadow fell ominously over her. It was close to noon. Where would...fuck!

Kaie flipped backwards, nerves humming with adrenaline. Of course it would be him.

* * *

><p>It had only taken Nico a few hours. She was definitely here.<p>

He shadow jumped, following the thread.

He landed and rolled, dispersing the extra energy from the shift. The city was busy around these few buildings but this small area was silent, broken only by hurried footsteps.

Running along the rooftop, roasting in the heat, Nico caught the sound, sure enough it was her. He couldn't stop himself from grinning. This new talent was coming in handy.

The girl had only a backpack with her. The knives she had used in the alley against the lamia were no where to be seen. Could she be foolish enough to have left them in the bag?

She stopped, tense as if she felt him watching. He knew he had to move before she disappeared again so he jumped off the roof.

She flipped backward with a lethal grace, he missed by an inch.

Instead of immediately disappearing, she pulled one of the elegant knifes from the small of her back.

Stupid Nico. Real Stupid.

How had he not considered a back sheath hidden by the jacket she wore? He could tell she wasn't the type to go anywhere unarmed, the number of knives in her apartment backed his hypothesis up.

Why else would she wear leather jacket in this heat anyway. His stupidity was compounded when he realized he had done the same thing. Jacket, knives, the whole kit.

* * *

><p>Kaie couldn't teleport out. She was too tired and ran the risk of teleporting herself into a wall or some other object. She was hard to kill but combining her molecules with those of say concrete would definitely do it. Stupid laws of nature.<p>

Still, this son of Hades was most directly responsible for this mess. Kaie wondered how he was tracking her. The mark made it impossible for the Gods themselves to follow her.

What was so special about this one demigod? She would have answers and if they came with a little blood and sweat, all the better.

Nico was surprised when she didn't teleport away. She must be limited like he was.

He surprised himself by trying diplomacy first. "The Gods want to talk to you. I don't know what you did and I don't really give a shit but I'm stuck with the job of bringing you back to Olympus."

She was silent. "Just come quietly." Great. He sounded like a character straight of a bad cop TV show. "They brought in everyone. Hunters, campers, you can't run." She stayed silent. If looks could kill, Nico would be long gone.

He felt like he was in a bad cowboy movie. Two people at opposite ends of an alley. Tense and ready to fight, interrupted only by the wind. All that was missing were the tumbleweeds.

The woman was still, her weight balanced on the balls of her feet, body positioned to limit the surface area he could hit.

Nico pulled out a long hunting knife from his boot. If she wanted a fight, she would get one.

She lunged first, her knife sliding through the air that filled the space his head had occupied a heartbeat ago. Gods she was fast!

Nico surprised himself in letting out a half laugh. He hadn't had a good fight outside of sparring with Percy in a while. This could actually be fun.

She slashed, he dodged. He moved forward, she moved back. It was a strange dance but fitting of two such similar people. Not that either one realized this yet.

* * *

><p>Sweat soaked Kaie's clothing. Her jacket was too much in the heat but it was the only one capable of concealing the small arsenal hidden on her person. What had been a boon in past years now impeded her movement, slowing her down. The only positive was that the son of Hades was in the same position.<p>

* * *

><p>She was distracted, Nico took the advantage and slid. His boot hit her knee and he heard a sharp crunch as she fell forward.<p>

She rolled with the hit admirably though, pulling him down with her. They fell, bodies hitting the asphalt hard.

Her elbow connected with his face, snapping his head back. Nico's resolved solidified.

This needed to end. Now. It didn't matter if he couldn't take another shadow jump.

He simply had to. He grabbed for her neck, fingers grazing her skin as their eyes met. Anger and adrenaline mixing in both gazes. The world around them dissolved.

A shockwave ripped through the air. They fell, limbs flailing. Nico's back hit sand, two ribs bruising a moment later when she landed on top of him, unconscious.

Nico knew he had to get her cuffed now, before she teleported again but the second he tried to move, darkness enveloped him.

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><p><strong>Hours Later:<strong>

Nico stared up at a very, very blue sky. Three small dots circled above him, where they buzzards? He groaned and began to sit up, freezing when he realized that the red head was still unconscious and lying on him.

If he was a gentleman he wouldn't use the time to his advantage. Thankfully he was the son of the Greek god of the underworld and definitely not a gentleman.

She she wasn't being rude, slamming doors in his face, or attacking him she was actually rather hot. Nico sighed, and reminded himself of his priorities. He needed to get this mess cleaned up. He moved stiffly, ribs reminding him of the crash landing.

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><p><strong><strong>Sorry it has taken me longer than usual to get this up. Life was being troublesome. <strong>Thanks for everyone who has read and reviewed. Please continue to do so. S I didn't know how much it meant to a writer till I started posting this story. Any feedback is helpful.**

**Next Chapter: Kaie and Nico take a walk that ends with tequila. What could go wrong? :D**


	7. Chapter 7

Kaie shot up, muscles protesting as she took in her surroundings. Sand. Lots and lots of sand. For as far as she could see broken only by...a very pissed of son of Hades. Kaie ported.

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><p>The woman shot upwards and froze, taking in her surroundings. The second she saw him she teleported.<p>

Well, tried to. Her body rippled, almost disappearing before the collar activated. She collapsed with a pain filled scream that echoed across the desert. Nico felt a twinge of guilt but quickly brushed it away. She's the one who had chosen to put up a fight.

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><p>Kaie pulled herself to her knees, breathing heavily. The skin around her neck burned as her fingers traced the metal circle. The bastard had collared her. His shadow fell over her,<p>

"Done?"

Kaie's hands went for her knives. "Gone." She could hear exhausting in his voice but she ignored it, hands searching for any of the weapons she had worn a few hours ago. They were all gone.

"What the hell did you do, strip search me?" The words fell out of her mouth before she realized it.

The son of Hades smirked. "Pretty much." She lunged for him, cussing.

He moved, a hand hitting a wide metal cuff on her arm she hadn't noticed till now. Metal expanded, coating her forearms in silver. They wouldn't move. Kaie dropped to the sand, pissed off and unable to do anything about it.

He hauled her up by an arm. "C'mon. We need to start moving." Kaie let herself be pulled along only because she didn't feel like dying of dehydration in the middle of an unknown desert.

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><p>They walked for several hours in silence. She was unwilling to speak. He was too frustrated to.<p>

His patience snapped first.

"Where were you trying to teleport to?" Nico had reasonably concluded that they ended up in a desert because they had tried to jump locations at the same time. It would make sense that they were somewhere in the middle of where ever she was trying to get to and New York, his goal.

She glared at him, arms pinned together in front of her. He could see in her eyes that she was considering ignoring him. "Brazil." Her voice dripped with anger and frustration. He knew how humiliating it must be for her to be cuffed like that but he didn't see any alternatives. Nico's gut told him she would do _anything_ to stay away from Olympus. He had no interest being a dead body in a desert so she stayed cuffed.

Unfortunately her insight didn't help Nico's sense of direction any. A desert somewhere between New York and Brazil was just a little too vague.

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><p>They walked for another hour or so before Nico grew bored. Endless piles of sand offered little in the way of entertainment.<p>

"So what's your name?" The woman looked over at him, an eyebrow raised.

She hesitated then answered. "Kaie." Nico thought the name fit her. Harsh but elegant.

"I'm Nico by the way. You already figured out that I'm a son of Hades. How'd you do that by the way?" He was surprised when she smiled. He would have described her as hot to anyone that asked, but when she smiled it was closer to drop dead gorgeous. No pun intended.

Nico shook his head, trying to push away the attraction. He just needed to get this done with.

"You remind me of Hades."

Nico stopped walking and looked at her. She stopped too once she realized he had. "You know my father?" She nodded. "How well?"

A mixture of emotions passed through her face for a moment before she rolled her eyes. "Too well."

They both started walking again in a more companionable silence. Neither one liked the idea of spending the night in the desert.

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><p>"So I'm going to guess that your not a demigod? Kaie glanced up at the darkening sky, tempted to go back to ignoring the son of Hades.<p>

"Nope."

"What are you then?"

"One of a kind."

Nico started to reply but stopped when Kaie turned around sharply.

"There." Nico followed her gaze and saw the lights now visible against the growing darkness that had caught her eye.

"Bout time." Nico didn't bother trying to hide the annoyance in his voice as they changed directions and literally walked towards the light.

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><p>Kaie looked up at the sign then back at Nico. "This is your fault." "Is not! You shouldn't have tried to run." They glared at each other, neither one willing to back down.<p>

"Calle is Spanish isn't it?" Nico broke first, turning his attention back to the street sign. He had never paid attention in school for the few months Annabeth had managed to get him in the building. Who would have guessed it would have been useful?

"So we're somewhere between Brazil and New York and the locals speak Spanish." Nico was surprised to hear a small sigh of frustration escape from between Kaie's lips. "Pretty much."

Kaie scanned the buildings around them, ignoring the attention they garnered from the locals. "I assume we're looking for a phone?" She looked over at Nico who nodded. "Our best bets gonna be a bar then."

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><p>Nico grinned, he liked the way she thought. Plus alcohol would go a long way towards helping this situation. Hell, it helped any situation...unless cops were involved. Then it only helped some of the time.<p>

They found a bar nearby after help from a local.

Nico entered the bar first, the dingy room fell silent as Kaie stepped inside.

He hesitated, assessing the room and locating multiple exits. He had been in far to many bar fights in his life time not to have a standard procedure by now.

Kaie walked straight to the bar and lean on it. "Donde estamos?" Nico glared at her, annoyed that she had waited till now to mention she knew some Spanish.

The bartender hesitated then answered. "Rancho El Valle." Kaie nodded, friendly to all appearances.

"Donde esta Rancho El Valle?" "Circa de la frontera con los Estados Unidos."

Nico took one of the trashy stools next to Kaie as she continued speaking to the bartender, paying more attention to the men behind them than the conversation. "Tienes un telephono? "Si" The bartender placed an ancient rotary dial on the counter. "Gracias. Una tequila para mi y un..."

She broke off and turned to Nico. "What do you want?" "Beer." "Y una cerveza por mi amigo." The bartender nodded, slightly happier now that he was getting cash out of the deal.

Nico moved to the phone and dialed the number every demigod committed to memory.

"Camp Halfblood." A younger camper who got stuck with desk duty answered.

"It's Nico. Get Percy on the phone now kid." He turned and caught a disapproving glare from Kaie. Annoyance rose up, who was she to judge him?

The bartender put their drinks in front of them while Nico waited, surprised and a little impressed when Kaie immediately downed the shot of tequila with the little movement she had in her fingers due to the cuffs and ordered another.

"Nico?" Percy's voice brought Nico's attention back to the phone. "Here."

"What's going on?" "I found her." "You need a lift out of Baltimore?" "Kinda not in Baltimore." Nico swore he heard Percy's annoyance over the ancient phone line. "Where are you then?" He asked slowly. Nico hesitated, "Mexico." "How in Hades did...Never mind. Give me your location and Clarisse and I will be down there as soon as we can." Nico filled him in quickly and hung up. Percy would get on to him when he got here either way.

"You're jealous of him." Kaie smirked from her seat on her bar stool, already on her third shot as Nico grabbed his beer, condensation covered the clear glass.

"I am not." "Yes you are." "Am not." "Are too." "Am not." "Are too." "Fine." Nico relinquished the childish argument. "Why am I jealous of Percy?"

"You want what he has. Steady girlfriend, strong connection with his father, acceptance at the camp."

"How do you know so much about us?" Nico interrupted, disliking the course the conversation was taking.

Kaie laughed ruefully. "Laws of life. Know thy enemy." She motioned for two more shots. Sliding one over to Nico before downing her fourth.

"Are you trying to get drunk?" Nico asked after finishing his beer and shot. "Yup." Kaie leaned on the counter, staring at the dirt covered bottles that lined the back wall.

"Why?" Nico decided to take the opportunity to find out more about her and why the gods wanted her found so badly.

"Cause I'm gonna be on Olympus in a couple of hours and that always ends horribly." "You've been there before."

"Yup."

It was two more shots before either one spoke again. Kaie was not even buzzed yet. Surprising for someone her size and weight. Of course, Dionysus was never drunk.

"What are you?" Nico asked bluntly again. Kaie laughed loudly and ordered two more shots.

"One of a kind."

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><p><strong>So it took longer than I thought it would to get this up. Sorry about that. Anyway, I know people are reading this but you aren't reviewing! C'mon it only takes a minuted and the feedback is really helpful. Give me something to work with people! Cookies for reviewers! How does that sound? <strong>


	8. Chapter 8

Percy landed his pegasus in front of the bar Nico said they were at. Clarisse and Annabeth following suit. Annabeth had insisted on coming. He had brought Clarisse as a precaution. Between the three of them they should be able to handle anything this person could throw at them.

It was almost one in the morning local time so thankfully he didn't need to worry about what the locals saw through the mist. He started to push open the door then froze as he heard laughter.

Not just laughter, Nico's laughter. It had literally been months since any of them had heard Nico laugh at something other than Percy looking like an idiot.

Clarisse,direct as always, pushed past Percy who exchanged a look with Annabeth.

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><p>Nico looked up at the sound of the door opening and nodded when he saw it was Clarisse.<p>

"Hey Nico." She sat on the counter between Nico and Kaie carefully avoiding the pyramid of empty shot glasses balance precariously on the counter while openly assessing the woman.

She had looked formidable in vision on Olympus but she lacked something now. Her eyes were slightly glazed and her movements were loose and disjointed. Clarisse felt disdain. A professional would never put themselves in this position when captured by the enemy. "This the one that almost got your eye?" She asked offhand. Nico nodded and got down off the stool as Percy and Annabeth entered, walking across the room to talk to them.

The woman looked up at Clarisse the second Nico moved away. Her eyes clear and movements controlled. Clarisse almost fell off the bar before she caught herself.

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><p>"Just out of curiosity..." Kaie looked up when the daughter of Ares steadied herself and spoke.<p>

A slight read aura around her, invisible to the demigods. Kaie wondered if she realized she still held the blessing of Ares. The God of War was rarely affectionate so she guessed not.

"...what would happen if I took those off?" Clarisse pointed to the cuffs that were beginning to chafe.

Kaie grinned wickedly. "You're not that stupid Clarisse. "

The daughter of Ares hid her surprise at hearing her name come from Kaie well. Kaie was impressed, she knew a subconscious part of Clarisse understood how much of a threat Kaie was to demigods. Now she only wondered how deeply buried that part was.

"I'm not that stupid but Percy might be." Clarisse answered Kaie with a half smile. Kaie was surprised there was no animosity towards the son of Poseidon in her voice. Her source had claimed they had been enemies for years.

Kaie grinned back at her, finding herself liking the slightly older woman. "You would be unconscious on the ground after a bar stool connected with your head, Nico would be through the front window and I would be long gone."

Both women glanced over at Percy right as he finished talking to Nico.

"Clarisse," He hesitated, looking at Kaie, unsure of what to call her. Kaie downed a final shot and set the empty glass as the point of her little work of art. "Kaie." She helped him out and walked over to the door.

"Let's go. I need to talk to D." She walked out the door and stood by the pegasi, waiting for the confused demigods. Ignoring the looks the four exchanged with each other.

She was trapped by these cuffs but if there was anyone around who was trusting, and foolish, enough to take them off her it would be the old man.

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><p>They landed outside the Big House, it was late but somehow a large percentage of the camp had found something to do that required them to still be up and outside.<p>

Percy looked up, surprised to find Mr. D as well as Chiron waiting on the front porch. As they approached, Percy could see anger of Chiron's face while Mr. D simply smirked.

"Tequila?" Percy was unsurprised he could tell what Kaie had been drink a few hours ago. She grinned and Mr. D rolled his eyes. "Hey, it's better than absinthe." Kaie told him with fake hurt in her eyes.

"Wanna take these off me?" She jerked the cuffs up. Mr.D raised a single questioning eyebrow. Kaie dropped her arms with a huff.

Mr. D turned his gaze on Percy and the others. "You and your little friends may go Peter Johnson." He made a shooing motion with his hands. Percy and the others turned. The last thing he heard was Kaie asking, "So who wants to kill me this time?"

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><p>Nico stared at the ceiling of his cabin. The camp had finally calmed down an hour or so after Kaie had disappeared into the Big House with Chiron and Mr. D. Her familiarity with Mr. D was slightly scary. Could she be his daughter? Nico dismissed the idea. Whatever she was, it sure as hades wasn't a demigod.<p>

He kicked off his covers and stood. If he couldn't get answers here he could try to get them out of Chiron. He left his cabin and walked towards the Big House, too wound up to even bother putting on a shirt. Annabeth would probably get on to him but she did that anyway. The little kids should be well in Morpheus' land by now so it didn't really matter.

A moment later, Percy fell into step along side him. "It bugging you too?" Nico nodded as they climbed the front porch's steps.

"Bout time." Annabeth's voice came from the shadows to the left. She, Rachel, and Clarisse sat on the bench swing.

Nico and Percy took two of the deck chairs and the group sat in silence for several moments. They all wanted some sort of answer but knew better than to actually try to go in the Big House. They had all been turned into dolphins by Mr. D at one point or another, multiple times if you were Percy, and didn't care to try it again. During that time Annabeth moved to sit in Percy's lap but they stayed quiet.

"You all know you're breaking the rules." Chiron's voice came through the door as he walked out in his true form, hooves clicking softly on the worn porch. He sat between Nico and Percy's chairs. "I know you all want answers but they are not mine to give."

"What is she Chiron?" Rachel begged, puppy dog eyes on at full power.

"What did she tell you?" "Nothing." Nico tried and failed to keep the annoyance he felt out of his voice.

"I..." Chiron broke off and turned. Kaie stood in the doorway, silhouetted by the foyer's light. She wore thin black sweats and a light blue t-shirt. The collar was still around her neck and her hands were still immobilized by Hephaestus's cuff.

"You might as well tell them." "Zeus ordered they not be involved." Chiron's voice was surprisingly cold towards Kaie "They already are. And newsflash: Not His Decision." Her voice was equally sharp. They glared at each other, a history of...something...passing between them in that moment before Kaie turned and vanished back into the Big House.

Annabeth cocked an eyebrow at Chiron who sighed and relented. "Very well. Let me tell you the story of the forgotten child of Gaia."

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><p><strong>Yay! Cliffhanger! I have Chiron's explanation written already but I'm holding it hostage till I get some reviews. I'm evil that way. No reviews, no details and you will be left with an unfinished story. Let me know what you think!<strong>


	9. Chapter 9

**This took longer than I thought to finish. I had some difficulty writing this and it's shorted because of that. Enjoy and please review!**

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><p>The demigods shifted nervously, unsure of how to take the idea of a child of Gaia. The Titans were children of Gaia and rarely did anything but kill demigods.<p>

After a moment they stilled and Chiron began the story.

"After the Titans and eventually the Olympians were born, Gaia believed there needed to be a being capable of keeping the immortal beings in check. A safeguard if you will. The being created was a mortal child who was born when Gaia knew she would be necessary. The idea was that she grow up each time learning the skills to take care of whatever problem needed handling then live a normal life and die of old age. Uncorrupted by the whims and influences of immortally. A human immortal so to speak. As a child of Gaia the being was stronger and faster then a normal human or demigod. Gaia also gave her an ability that acted like a seventh sense. This sense gave her the capability to sense immediate danger and allowed her to be more in tune with possible results and act accordingly."

Chiron saw confusion on the faces of most of the group so he simplified the idea. "She is judge and jury to the gods and other immortals, keeping them in line and serving punishment. She is a mercenary to demigods, helping them when it helps her. She is a being unlike any other. Always remember that."

After several moments of silence following his warning, Chiron continued. "To help her in her duty Gaia also gave her child a weapon capable of killing Gods and mortals alike, much stronger than celestial bronze or anything similar. The weapon has changed appearances for each life she has had."

"How do we know it is capable of killing Gods?" Clarisse interrupted Chiron's story. Her eyes glittered in the darkness as she sat in awe of the idea of such a weapon like any true child of Ares.

Chiron raised a reproaching eyebrow "The weapon has many names. O thánatos tou Theoú to the Olympians. Bás An Dé to the Celts. Kami no shi to the Japanese. Mungu wa kifo to some African deities. If dozens of pantheons call a weapon and it's wielder The God's Death. Who are we to question it?" Clarisse sat back, subdued as Chiron continued his tale.

"Because she has appeared before times of great sorrow and death, like the gods, she has been incorporated into humanity's legends. No one, not even the gods remember her original name. I do not even know if she does. To the world, she has become the Gray Lady. Every legend and ghost story of a Gray Lady ghost who appears before times of trouble is based of the woman two floors above us."

"If this has happened before, why did Kaie run?" Nico was troubled over her reaction to being found by the gods.

Darkness cross Chiron's face for a moment before passing. "Things never go quite as one plans them to." He refused to elaborate further on why Kaie had reacted strangely but he did answer some of their less general questions.

"How many times has she lived?" Annabeth had taken out of pad of paper after Chiron had begun speaking and continued to take detailed notes.

"Nine that the gods know of. I have always believed that there were a few more. More than once the gods have been on the receiving end of the Gray Lady's wrath so she would avoid them if at all possible."

"So what is she responsible for in history?" Rachel wondered she could have visions of the Gray Lady. So far she had seen events connected to her but not the person herself.

"Disasters." Chiron's face grew dark again.

"Come on, you got to give us specifics!" Percy was like a little child attracted to a story. He wanted all the details possible. Chiron sighed and regarded the hyperactive demigod who was well into his twenties but unable to act like an adult when around his close friends.

"She has been part of many of the worst battles and natural disasters in history. I will not give you any more specifics." Chiron vanished back into the Big House, his hooves echoing ominously in the darkness.

The demigods sat quietly, absorbing every detail Chiron had told them. After a few minutes the group dispersed to their cabins. Nico was the last one left on the porch. He sat there for what could have been hours or mere minutes, questioning how this all affected the camp and his friends. If the Fates were kind it wouldn't. Unfortunately the Fates were rarely so kind to demigods.

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><p><strong>Thanks to the people who reviewed the last chapter. Please keep reviewing. It helps alot. Next time: Kaie and a few demigods go to Olympus. Chaos and fear ensue!<strong>


	10. Chapter 10

**Please Read and Review! I can't become a better writer if I don't have help. On that note, enjoy!**

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><p>Nico woke up the next morning to the sounds of Percy banging on the door of his cabin, yelling at him to get his ass out of bed.<p>

"What?" Nico pulled the door open angrily. Percy fell landed on his face at Nico's feet, having had all his weight against the door.

Percy looked up from the smooth black marble of Nico's cabin floor. "Get dressed, we're going to Olympus."

"Who is?" Nico asked, trying to push off the fog of sleep. "Me, you, and Annabeth." Nico sighed, he knew too well he had no choice but to go. He stood and grabbed a clean t-shirt, pulling it on as he left his father's cabin.

Nico and Percy walked up to the Big House. Campers moved around them busily. To all appearances it was a seemed like a normal day but Nico saw the groups huddled together talking and looking over their shoulders.

Mr. D, Annabeth, and Kaie stood on the front porch waiting. Mr. D wore a light brown suit with a dark purple tie, a drastic change from his usual garb. Annabeth in dress pants and a dark blue business shirt looked as she always did when she traveled to Olympus in her capacity as the gods' architect. Kaie was a stark contrast to their formal clothing. She wore a dark blue strapless bodice that cut low in the back with black jeans and combat boots. Her hands were still cuffed in front of her and Hephaestus' collar was still around her neck. It seemed Mr. D didn't trust her to not vanish any more than Nico did.

"Hurry up Nick and Peter." Mr. D was scowling at the demigods. The moment they reached the top step of the porch, they vanished.

With a slight pop, the gods' throne room appeared around them. Mr. D materialized on his throne while Kaie stood in the center of the room alone. Percy, Nico, and Annabeth had simply been left at the back by the entrance.

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><p>Kaie looked up, the new throne room was a work of art. Simplistic yet elegant. Annabeth had given Olympus the touch of realism it needed.<p>

"Gray Lady." Zeus's deep voice rumbled through the room, the soft murmur of the other gods died to silence as the King of the Gods acknowledged her presence.

"You would have us speak while I am bound as a prisoner Lord Zeus?" Kaie knew her voice was cold, her essence seeping past the college student persona she had modeled herself after in a desperate attempt for normalcy.

"Never." Zeus glanced at Hephaestus who nodded. The metal surrounding Kaie's arms melted away, disappearing into the air. Kaie stood silently, massaging the feeling back into her lower arms. The gods had dragged her up here. They would speak first.

"Why have you risen this time?" Zeus spoke after several minutes of silence.

"Why did you force me here?" Kaie countered smoothly.

Zeus glared. "Why did you run when found?"

"Why was the son of Hades sent to find me?" Zeus paused after Kaie's accusation and turned to look at his brother.

"He was not." Hades replied after a tense moment.

"Then how the hell did he?" Kaie turned and looked at Nico standing by the entrance. "Damn." The word came out softly, almost reverently as realization hit her.

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><p>Nico shifted nervously, disliking that the attention of the Gods had turned towards him.<p>

"Nico, how did you find me." Kaie's voice was quiet. Nico shrugged, "I just followed your energy."

"How could you differentiate between mine and the thousands of other people in Chicago?" Nico shrugged again unsure of how to describe something that just came naturally.

Kaie let out a small laugh and turned to Hades. "Your son can sense auras and you didn't know." Nico didn't know what an aura was but Kaie's tone effectively called his father an idiot at so many levels it was ridiculous. Hades looked shocked for a moment before recovering.

"Gray Lady." Zeus once again commanded the attention of the room again after it dissolved into murmurs. The room turned it's attention back to Kaie and Nico relaxed in relief.

"Yes, yes." Kaie flapped a hand at him. Nico wondered if she was crazy or just suicidal to act so flippantly towards the King of the gods.

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><p>"To answer your question on why I was born now, I don't know." Zeus glared. Kaie glared back a moment before relenting and continuing. "To ensure what happened..." she fumbled for a word "... last time does not occur again Gaia chained my abilities."<p>

"How?"

"Mist metal imbedded under my skin." She pointed at the design on her arm. "My abilities to manipulate the Mist are almost no existent. She turned her back on the gods and pulled her loose hair to the side, showing them something on her back for a moment. As she turned back to face them again, Nico caught sight of a silver six pointed star filled with intricate knots about two inches across at the center of her back. "She completely blocked my sixth sense. If I had it, I would have been long gone before Nico ever came near me and I would not be here now."

Something in her last sentence cause anger to flare in Zeus' eyes for a moment.

"Can it be removed?" Regal Hera interupted before her husband could speak again, having sensed his rising anger.

Kaie shook her head. "Not by me, I've tried. She fused it to my spinal cord." Kaie paused. "Plus its in a damn inconvenient location." She added as if it was an after thought.

"Could Apollo?" Hera glanced at the patron god of healers who rarely remembered he held that role fact. Kaie considered it for a moment. Then let out a slight hiss as the metal around her arm constricted with a life of its own. "Apparently but it will take time and would be incredibly painful. I would rather not." Zeus stood from his throne and walked towards Kaie. "If I were to order you to?"

Nico watched as Zeus approached Kaie. "If I were to order you to?" Kaie tensed and glared up at the god.

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><p>As Nico watched, her eyes changed from a human dark gray to piercing globes holding pure fury, almost identical to Zeus' own. "You forget you are not in a position to do so." Her voice was emotionless and terrifying at an elemental level. "I have not lived for many years. Watch you do not treat me as a demigod Zeus. Never forget what I was created for."<p>

To Nico's shock, Zeus backed down and returned to his throne. The other gods regarded Kaie like a rabid animal in the room no one was sure how to deal with.

Kaie watched as Zeus returned to his throne. She may not be immortal like them. The majority of her powers may be blocked. She may be only twenty but screw them if they thought they could treat her like any other being.

She considered Zeus' request as he watched her warily. "I will." He raised an eyebrow. Kaie glared. "I want answers just as much as you all do considering it is my ass on the line. If Apollo assists me, I will remove the star mark." The King of the gods nodded once to Apollo and he and Kaie vanished. After a moment, several gods vanished while those who remained began to converse quietly.

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><p>Kaie felt herself being pulled across Olympus, to materialize in one of Apollo's temple. He appeared behind her. Kaie moved her hair out of the way and felt a hand, to warm to be human, rest over the star.<p>

"This will probably hurt."

"No Duh." Kaie's voice came out as a hiss as her body tensed.

The metal began to burn, fighting the removal and Kaie muffled a cry of pain. She felt it lessen slightly as Apollo hesitated. "Just get it over with." The pain spiked and Kaie heard herself scream before she blacked out as pain and information overloaded her senses.

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><p><strong>Please read and review! Next chapter reveals the major threat to the gods and Nico get dragged back in to everything.<strong>


	11. Chapter 11

After what felt like hours to Percy, Apollo reappeared on his throne. A moment later, Kaie reappeared in the center of the room.

Her hair had been moved over one shoulder and a thin layer of dried blood coated her back. In stark contrast, the design that had been silver was now slightly raised pale skin that looked like a brand. She had lost the scary persona and now just seemed exhausted. Percy could see she was close to collapsing but forcing herself to stay up. The determination in her stance reminded him of someone but he had trouble placing it.

"Well?" Zeus looked down at the Gray Lady from his throne.

"There is a god missing. Who?" Her exhaustion was clear in her voice. Confusion passed through the room as the gods shifted around.

"No one is." A thin degree of doubt was threaded through Zeus' voice.

Kaie sighed. "I pray to someone that I am wrong but there is a minor god is not here. Find Them!" Zeus glanced at Hermes who nodded and vanished.

"Why is this important?" Kaie disappeared then reappeared by Zeus' throne. Whispering quietly into his ear to answer him. Fear passed across his face. "That is not possible." He told Kaie coldly as she stepped away.

At that moment, Hermes reappeared. "Brizo has not been seen for several weeks." Percy recognized the name of a minor goddess who was the patroness of sailors because of her connection to his father. Zeus' eyes grew dark. They reminded Percy of a dark storm cloud on the horizon. "A Death Gate has been opened." He announced to the room.

The room dissolved into panicked chaos. The three demigods had never seen the like. Even at the height of the second Titan War the Olympians were relatively calm and collected. Now they were like high school students, trying to all talk at once by yelling.

"Silence!" Zeus' deep voice rumbled and the foundations of Olympus itself shook as it took time for the room to calm. "Can you find it?" The king of the gods turned his attention back on Kaie who nodded uncertainly.

"Right now I'm like a metal detector. I can barely sense it but I know its there. The sense will get stronger as I get closer. I will stay in the camp tonight and leave tomorrow. I'm getting a general sense that its to the west." Zeus nodded as Percy refrained himself from pointing out that they were currently on the eastern seaboard and almost the entire United States lay to the west. "Discuss among yourself and notify me of your decisions tomorrow." Kaie turned and walked to stand by Nico, Percy, and Annabeth. "You know how to find me now." In a flash, she disappeared. A moment later, the demigods felt themselves being throne back to Camp Halfblood by one of the gods.

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><p>Camp Halfblood appeared around them a moment later. Nico was annoyed to find that it was just after sunset. Somehow they had lost the majority of the day on Olympus.<p>

"What is a Deathgate?" Annabeth's gray eyes were focused on Kaie, demanding answers.

"Tear in the fabric of Gaia's energy that blocks death. Any creature killed around it is brought back to life through the gate and under the control of the being who opened the gate. It can also be used to bring spirits back from Hades and bend them to the will of whomever created the Deathgate. To create a gate requires the death of a godly being and the same believed to be required to close it." Kaie spoke listlessly, her gaze focused on the bustling camp life around them.

For one of the first times since Nico had known Annabeth she seemed speechless. Hades, Nico didn't know what to think either. "What?" Percy finally spoke, voicing the demigods' confusion. "Think of zombies that do whatever they are told and can not be killed."

"How is that different from the normal monsters we fight?" Nico asked, unsure if he wanted to know the answer. "They don't die and regenerate. Cut them, burn them, blow them up, they reform and keep coming. The more pieces they are in the longer it takes for them to reassemble but they do it right there and in only a few minutes." Kaie never turned away from watching camp life as she spoke.

"How do we fight them then?" Nico was not surprised when Annabeth accepted the idea and took the logical approach. "You don't." "What about..." "No," Kaie interrupted the daughter of Athena. "You stay here. Sit on your asses and pray to the gods that none of them can get here. They will kill you." "I can at least help you." Percy, ever the hero, volunteered. "No." Kaie turned at looked at the demigods. Nico felt a wave of cold air sweep through the camp, past the humidity of summer. Kaie's eyes were the storm gray that was so similar to Zeus'. "They will kill you too. The curse of Achilles will do you no good when you are alone in a battle, swarmed by hundreds of shades in every direction, and without any room to use Anaklusmos. One will be luck, hit your weak spot, and you will be torn to pieces."

Kaie turned away from the three demigods, distant and distracted once again. "Get every demigod and satyr you can here and keep them here. The gods will know if I manage to close the gate." She walked away from the group, climbing the steps to the Big House and disappearing inside without a backwards glance.

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><p>"Hey!" Noise swirled around Kaie as she moved towards the dining pavilion. She had planned to stay in the Big House, going over maps for the rest of the night but her stomach had protested vehemently.<p>

"Hey!" Nico skidded to a halt along side Kaie. "Slow down will you?" "What's the matter Nico? Getting old?" Kaie stopped at the new voice. "Shut it runt." Nico retorted.

A teen walked towards them, her tongue stuck out at Nico. Kaie recognized her as a hunter of Artemis by her silver and black fatigues. With a sinking feeling, Kaie realized she wore the lieutenant's circlet.

"Hi." Kaie broke away from her thoughts and took the hand offered by the hunter robotically. "I'm Thalia." Kaie nodded. "Kaie. What happened to Zoe?" The words came out before she could stop them.

Confusion and surprise flashed across the teen's vision as she stood silent. "You knew Zoe?" Nico's voice hid his surprise well but Kaie could see it in his face. "Yeah. Last three lives" Kaie felt sadness rise up as realization hit her. "When?" "Beginning of the second titan war." Thalia answered after a watching Kaie for a moment, gauging her reaction. "Who?" Kaie kept her voice cold. If she showed emotion now the mental dam holding back everything would break. "Her father." Nico answered before Thalia could.

Kaie surprised herself by letting out a soft laugh. Zoe had always said it would be Atlas. Kaie turned away from the dining pavilion and moved towards the woods instead. Nico called out to her retreating back once but Kaie ignored it. Solitude was necessary at times like these. Zoe had been the constant every time she was reborn. They had fought together over and over again. Besides the gods, no one left truly understood who she was now and she realized that she hated that.

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><p><strong>Please Review! Now that I'm out of school for the summer (FINALLY!) my goal is to update every other day. All advice is helpful so please review!<strong>


	12. Chapter 12

Nico woke up slowly and glanced out the window. His head felt heavy as he looked up from the books it lay on. True darkness had fallen and the camp was quiet so it had to be after lights out. He had been going over myths and major historical events, trying to find evidence of the Gray Lady in history and must have fallen asleep. He stood and stretched right as Kaie walked past his window. Too curious for his own good, Nico slipped outside and into the shadows to follow her.

She stopped on the beach and sat on the sand dunes looking out at the relatively calm water. A bottle of whiskey lay against her legs and she was in the middle of pulling a pack of cigarettes from her back pocket. A spark flared to life in her hand as she lit one before putting dropping the pack in the sand.

"You gonna stay there all night?" She breathed out a small cloud of smoke as she lay back in the sand, staring up at the night sky. "How do you do that?" Kaie shrugged in response as Nico sat down next to her.

"You know those are bad for you right?" Kaie smiled but continued to stare up at the stars. "You don't smoke?" Nico shook his head. "Used to. Then dad decided to trap me in a cavern with every person who had ever died in any way connected to smoking for a few days. Gave it up pretty quickly after that."

They sat in silence but for the sound of the waves hitting the beach for a while. "You would think I would be used to it by now." Kaie spoke quietly. "Used to what?" Nico asked uncertainly. He didn't want to get dragged into this. Hades, he didn't even know why he was out here. "Coming back and finding the people I knew were dead." Nico shrugged. "I'm the son of Hades. I can see those who have died and I still can't get used to it. Loss and our reaction to it is what makes us human."

Silence fell again before Kaie broke it as she flicked her cigarette into the dunes and opened the bottle of whiskey. "You want to know why I don't think about the consequences of smoking?" She asked bitterly. "Why?" Nico simply gave her cause to answer. He realized now that she needed to vent more than anything right now.

"I have never lived past twenty five. In all my lives. Every time I die young. Every. Damn. Time." She offered him the bottle. He took it with a shrug, curiosity piqued. "How many times have you lived?" Kaie took the bottle back and tossed some back, letting the alcohol burn her throat. "Twelve I think. They get blurry after a while. Gods only know of nine though." "How's that possible." Kaie shrugged and passed him the bottle again. "Sometimes they are the threat and I have to work against them."

They sat in silence once again. Nico was surprised to find it was comfortable. "You can ask." He jumped slightly at the sudden noise. "How'd you know what I was thinking?" Every time Nico thought he understood her, she did something completely impossible. Not impossible, Nico realized after a moment, godlike.

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><p>Kaie laughed softly before looking over at Nico. "I can't read minds. It would be awesome if I could but I just know you have questions. People always do." She reached over him and grabbed the bottle of whiskey, well aware of how he tensed when her arm brushed his knee. He seemed lost in thought. She knew he was trying to figure out where to start.<p>

"Where were you during the Titan war?" Kaie caught bitterness in his voice. "In Chicago." "Why didn't you do anything?" Frustration overrode all other emotion's in Nico's voice, surprising Kaie.

"I couldn't." "Why? 'Cause of some ancient rules?" "Yes." Nico tried to interrupt again but Kaie continued before he could, honesty flowing out before she thought to hide the truth.

"When the Titans and Kronos in particular began to rise, the ripples of energy were enormous. The metal implants were not enough to block me from the effects. I spent five months in a the hospital. The doctors thought I was in a coma but it was more of my body reducing it's functions so my mind could handle the massive input."

"Oh. Sorry." Kaie shrugged and knitted her hands under her head as she watched the stars. "Don't be. Gaia turned it into an opportunity."

"How so?"

"Rather than block the events from me she showed them to me. I watched the second Titan war unfold from a hospital bed."

"That's how you recognized Clarisse, Percy, and Annabeth." Kaie could hear the realization in Nico's voice. She looked over, catching the knot of confusion forming between his eyes. "But why didn't you know about Zoe then?"

"There was a lot of stuff going on at once." Sadness washed over Kaie as she realized what her mother had done. "Gaia probably hid it from me."

Kaie ran a finger around the mouth of the glass bottle. She reached for the pack of cigarettes by her feet but Nico reached them first, crushing the pack in one hand before tossing it into the dunes. Kaie glared menacingly but Nico seemed unaffected. "Whoops." He grinned, unrepentant, and Kaie felt a weight lift off her shoulders.

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><p>Nico didn't know why he tossed away the cigarettes. It had been pure impulse but seeing Kaie's face while they talked and the numerous emotions she tried to hide as she spoke, made it worth the risk of her being mad at him. He knew from experience that holding back emotions or pushing them onto someone else never ended well. If he could help her, he would. He flopped back into sand and looked up at the same stars she had been gazing so intently at, trying to find whatever she saw in them.<p>

After several moments he gave up. "So how come you didn't recognize me when I showed up at your apartment." He was glad she laughed. "You changed a lot since then." Nico wasn't sure how to respond. It had been impossible not to change during those chaotic weeks.

On an impulse he changed the subject. "When was the last time you lived?" He didn't know why the question sounded so personal. His curiosity overrode all survival instincts. Apparently Percy was rubbing off on him. "Late 19th century." Kaie's voice was quite, all emotion repressed.

Nico racked his mind, trying to figure out what big events had happened during that time. He came up blank, instantly regretting writing off history classes for so many years. Apparently it would have been useful. They lay in silence for a time before Nico drifted off. Too exhausted from the past few days and too comfortable in the sand to bother returning to his cabin.

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><p><strong>Please Review! Any and all input helps. Kaie's story could go in two different directions right now and I'm trying to decide which one will work better. Any thoughts on the story so far will help me decide.<strong>


	13. Chapter 13

Nico woke up covered in sand for the second time in as many days. The sun was barely up so the camp was quiet when as he walked back to his cabin. Kaie was no where to be seen. After changing into less sandy clothes, he walked towards the Big House.

"I wouldn't" Thalia's voice stopped him just before he reached the porch. "Hermes just went in." She sat under one of the massive trees in the shade. Nico slid down next to her. "Percy and Annabeth?" Thalia rolled her eyes. "Disappeared together last night." She made a face at the idea then turned as the door to the Big House opened.

"I'll leave in a few hours." Kaie's voice travelling the distance to the demigods in the early morning silence.

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><p>Kaie walked out onto the porch with Hermes. "Take them with you." Kaie shook her head vehemently. "You know what happens to demigods who stay around me for long." Sadness streaked across Hermes' face for a moment. "I know. But if you don't Lord Zeus will probably try to collar you again." Kaie made a disgusted face. "I'd shove it up his pompous a..." Thunder rolled threateningly across the sky. Kaie fumed silently. Tired, frustrated, and lost. She knew she had done this before but every life seemed like the first, confusing and draining.<p>

"We can't afford the division right now. Please just do it. You owe me." Kaie grimaced at the reminder of last time and hesitated before nodding. Debts were important and she would never be the first to ignore them. "I'll take him but not all of them. Especially not him." Hermes nodded, understanding, and vanished, leaving the eavesdropping demigods confused at the extreme pronoun usage.

Kaie walked across the porch and down the steps and walked over to Nico and Thalia. Neither demigod seemed repentant about being caught eavesdropping.

"So what happens to demigods who hang around you? Nico asked with a sly grin. Kaie's heart beat wanted to speed up at the sight but she forced the impulse away. "They die horrific and gruesome deaths." Kaie mirrored his grin in an effort to subtly warn them.

"Lovely." Thalia mumbled sarcastically. "It's not like that doesn't happen anyway." She told Kaie as she stood, brushing leaves from her pants. "So who's going with you?"

"Nico." Nico almost jumped out of his skin at the idea. "No way in Hades am I going with you!"

"Aw. Nico I'm hurt." Kaie put a hand on her chest as if wounded before turning and walking towards the mess hall. Nico and Thalia looked at each other once then ran to catch up. The horn for breakfast sounding just as they moved.

"Don't worry. You weren't my first choice either." Kaie began speaking again as they pulled level with her. "Unfortunately neither one of us has a choice. You're stuck being my parole officer for the foreseeable future." Thalia and Kaie both heard his teeth grind together as he grimaced and cursed under his breath.

The redhead looked at the huntress, "Is he always like this?", ignoring the withering glare Nico threw at them both. Thalia nodded sadly. "Poor thing used to be normal. But now he's just a big void of emoness."

Nico threw up his hands in protest. "I am not emo! I just like black!" Kaie laughed, unable to resist teasing him more. "You really need to check that denial checked out Nico. Bad things could happened if you don't." Amusement sparkled in Thalia's eyes as Nico retorted. "This all coming from someone known as the Gray Lady. Not emo at all."

"So are you taking anyone else? Thalia asked diplomatically as the neared the mess hall, breaking the glare between Nico and Kaie.

Kaie shook her head. "Nah, bad enough I have to take him." She gestured to Nico with a finger. He was looking up at the sky for no apparent reason. Kaie couldn't help but remember the other children of Hades she had known. Why were they always this...she couldn't think of a word to describe it quite right but they were all so similar.

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><p>"Gray Lady." Mr.D's voice thundered from the main table as the three entered the dining hall, shaking Nico out of his drifting thoughts. The entire hall was filled with campers. It was later than he had thought. The room fell silent at the sound of the camp director's voice.<p>

Nico glanced at Kaie. She was smiling sweetly. Too sweetly, the smile looked too perfect to be real. "Aw. You remembered my name D. It only took you a couple thousand years."

As she spoke she walked across the room, embracing the campers watching her. Hamming up her actions to the crowd. To the shock of the assembled group, she sat down on the front of the main table, grabbing Mr.D's diet coke can in the process. To add to the number of jaw bones hitting the marble floor. Mr. D did _nothing_. He continued eating as if nothing had changed.

"All right." Kaie turned her attention the awestruck campers. "Most of you have no clue who I am and normally I'm fine with that but unfortunately you all might be dying horrifically in the next week or so I figured you might as well go out knowing one of the better kept secrets of Olympus."

Nico leaned back against one of the columns that supported the roof and decided to watch everything explode. Maybe Zeus would end this entire mess and get him out of parole duty by incinerating Kaie in a ball of lighting.

"I'm the Gray Lady. I don't have a real name cause I keep dying. Messy thing but you get used to it. Any who, I was created by Gaia just after the Titans so yes I am older than the gods technically. The whole dying repeatedly thing makes it a tricky business. So anyway, I'm here now cause some idiot decided to open a death gate and the gods can't manage to handle it. Any questions?" The room was silent. Not even the children of Apollo said anything. "Good. That was easy. Any body know where Clarisse is? I need explosives."

Nico had to stop himself from laughing as Kaie walked towards him a grin on her face. As Nico watched, the grin disappeared, a earth crushing sadness taking over her face for a moment before the grin reappeared as Clarisse walked over.

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><p>"Explosives?" Kaie turned back at the sound of Clarisse's voice and nodded once. "Armory." Clarisse gestured with her head and lead Kaie nodded and followed the daughter of Ares' out of the mess hall. "Nico pack. We're leaving right after this." She yelled over her shoulder.<p>

"Nico's going with you?" Clarisse let out a laugh as Kaie rolled her eyes. "Unfortunately the gods decided he was my shadow till this was all over. Not that I don't think he'll be useful, I just work better by myself."

"Nico might surprise you." Kaie stopped in confusion. A child of Ares giving a compliment to someone else was a rare thing. "Don't give me that look. He's a punk but he's got skill." Kaie laughed and began walking again.

"So why do you need explosives? I thought you had a bunch of magic god skills or something." Clarisse took a ring of bronze keys from her belt and unlocked the massive stone door to the armory.

"I normally do but I'm not taking my second chip out yet. Things would end very very badly if I did."

"How so? Clarisse's curiosity was piqued.

Kaie shrugged and followed her into the armory, waiting as the lights slowly came on. "All my other lives I've had years to work with my talents. They're different every life so it takes time. I don't even know what gifts I would get. Every time I'm reborn its a Russian Roulette of choices. If I took the chip out now, who the hell knows how much damage I could do. Now that I've got to take care of something it would be more trouble than its worth." Kaie watched the lights glint off the weapons and storage cases. She felt slightly better for the first time since hearing about Zoe's death. Lethal weaponry always helped make a girl feel better.

She walked down the main isle, perusing the selection to either side. "Can I ask a question?" Kaie looked back at Clarisse who was still by the door. "You just did but feel free to have another." A bandolier of grenades looked promising.

"Why do you need other weapons when you have a God Killer? Chiron said something about it could change into any weapon."

"It can but only when I'm born. Every life, a new weapon." Kaie ran a hand along one of the cases, the smooth steel sliding under her fingertips

"How is it chosen?" Clarisse moved down one of the other aisles as she spoke.

"Subliminal choice. Necessity. Yada yada. Blah. I wasn't listening that day."

"Would plastic explosives work?" Clarisse pulled a pale green block out of a metal box.

"Messing with detonators would be too much of a hassle."

Clarisse shrugged and put it back. "So what weapons has it been?"

"Basic sword the first couple times. Nice battle ax once or twice. Sai last time. That was interesting. I can't remember most of it's past forms though."

Clarisse looked up, confused. "How come?"

Kaie tapped her head with a finger as she eyed a case of napalm. "Purely human mind. I can't remember most things from my past lives."

"What do you remember then?"

Kaie looked away from Clarisse as the memories came crashing down around her. "Blood. Fire. Death. People dying. The types of things that stick with you."

Faces were through up from her memories. Rachelle daughter of Athena. Jacob son of Hephaestus. William son of Ares. Liz daughter of Iris. Cole son of Dionysus. So many faces pushed forward from behind the mental walls she had created years ago. Guilt gnawed at her heart before she could forced it away again.

She grabbed a bandolier of flash grenades. Better to go nonlethal sense they would be moving fast and probably dealing with cops at some point.

Kaie's feet moved of their own accord, dragging her out of the armory, leaving a confused but understanding Clarisse behind her. Nico was by the door. The look in his eyes told her he had heard. "Let's go." Her voice was cold even to her own ears.

Nico followed her back up the big house. Chiron handed Kaie two sets of keys, one of which she tossed to him. Nico grinned when he saw the Yamaha logo. Chiron said nothing, catching on to Kaie's mood and simply nodded as they headed to the garage that very few campers knew about. Nico had only been in it once.

The door of the plain single level cabin slid open. Two Yamaha YZF-R1's sat alone, waiting. Each one had full helmet with a tinted visor and a properly sized jacket on the seat. "Helmets have radio." Kaie told him before sliding her's on and straddling the bike. She gunned the engine and shot out of the garage, leaving Nico to follow.

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><p><strong>Thank you to everyone how has read the story. I really appreciated it and it means a lot. That being said, I'm not going to upload again until I get some reviews. I know people are reading the story but the lack of specifics doesn't tell me what people like or dislike about it. Anything is helpful. <strong>

**Last chapter I mentioned the time period that Kaie last lived in. I'm curious to see if anyone can figure out what historical event/disaster she was involved in. If you get it right, you get to pick one of the monsters Kaie and Nico fight in a later chapter. (Yes the violence in the story is increasing soon.) **

**Please Read and Review!**


	14. Chapter 14

They hit Ohio before either one spoke. Kaie was to frustrated and depressed to bother and Nico knew better than to get involved in something personal.

"We're pulling over for food." Kaie's static filled voice filled Nico's helmet as they wove through traffic. A few minutes later she pulled into a Mcdonald's parking lot and Nico followed suit. "You want to talk about it?" Nico knew she needed space but also knew the longer she stewed in the anger and frustration, the worse it would be when it all came out. He could vouch from personal experience.

"No." she walked past him and into the Mcdonalds.

As Nico moved to follow, his cell went off. He knew it was stupid to have one on him but Percy had told him to take it in case Rachel had any visions or the gods decided to interfere. Sure enough, Percy's name lit up the screen. "Yeah?"

"Rachel just had a vision of five manticore's coming after you." Percy was unusually blunt which worried Nico. "What else?" The line was silent for several seconds.

"Rachel's having a hard time seeing anything more than a week into the future. She says everything keeps shifting." Nico sighed. Wasn't that how the future work regardless? "Got it."

"Watch out Nico. Annabeth talked to her mother about the Gray Lady. Lady Athena wouldn't give her details about the last time the Gray Lady lived but it was bad and a lot of people died." "I'm always careful." Nico reminder his older cousin who simply laughed and hung up, leaving an annoyed and Nico standing in the parking lot alone.

After a moment he walked into the Mcdonalds and found Kaie sitting at one of the plastic booths. Two plastic trays sat ton the table filled with food sat on the worn plastic table in front of her. She hadn't seemed to touch any of it though.

She was leaned against the booth's divider, staring up at the ceiling. Her fingers tapped a steady rhythm on the table.

Nico slid in across from her. "What was with the scene in the dining hall today?" He grabbed a handful of soggy french fries and a packet of catch up.

"The gods need to stop lying and hiding things from their children. They would be nothing without you but they ignore that. It almost destroyed them once and it may do so again." Kaie spoke listlessly and continued to stare at the ceiling, fingers tapping a steady rhythm as Nico watched her face for any emotion. He could tell she was hiding something, just like the gods.

"It was more than that." He said after a moment. Kaie looked down from the ceiling and glared at him. Dark silver energy rolled across her gray eyes. Nico simply ignored that, refusing to be intimidated. He raised and eyebrow in response.

After a moment she relented. "Dealing with panicky and pissed off demigods will distract the gods. I work better when they are not involved." Nico nodded, understanding. The gods definitely had a way of complicating everything they came in contact with.

They sat in silence. Nico plowed through most of the food while Kaie barely ate. Nico considered trying to get her to eat more but it wasn't his business. But the gods needed her to fight so she needed food. He cursed himself for being unable to decide how to act around her. It was annoying as dealing with a hyper Percy.

A roar echoed from the outside the resaurant. "Crap." Nico had forgotten about Percy's/Rachel's warning.

"What is it?" Kaie tensed, a hand moved to where the hilt of her left knife was hidden by her worn jacket.

"Manticore. Percy called to tell me Rachel had a vision of them."

Kaie glared harshly. "And you forgot?"

"I thought we had more time!"

"The Oracle sees the future! Next time tell me immediately!" Kaie retorted sharply.

"You think there's going to be a next time?"

She glared again. "Really?"

Nico stood. "Right. Stupid Question." He bowed sarcastically and swept an arm towards the restaurant's glass doors. Screaming people were now visible, running towards the restaurant. "Shall we Lady?"

Kaie stood, slapping him on the back of the head as he straightened. She walked towards the door, pulling her knives out in a fluid motion from where they were hidden under her jacket. "Let's go kill some manticore."

Nico followed her out, people pushed past them, trying to get to the safety the Mcdonalds offered as the manticores came into view. Five of the monsters stalked towards the restaurant's golden arches in a basic point formation, intent on the building.

Nico glanced over at Kaie. Her stance was loose, ready. Her knives twirled through her fingers so fast the blades blurred as she warmed her wrists up. Nico was surprised to find himself impressed. He hadn't been impressed by anything in a few years.

He considered his weapons for a moment then pulled a black sword hilt from where it was belted to his back. He ran his thumb over a black stone set in the center and a dark silver blade unfolded. Two and a half feet of Stygian iron with hydra blood imbedded in the metal. His eighteenth birthday present from his father.

He swung the blade twice, warming up his wrist as he moved to Kaie's left side. "So, split them fifty fifty?" He asked amicably.

Kaie grinned but kept her focus on the manticores who were closing the distance between them. "Just try to keep up Ghost Boy." 

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><p>Kaie sprinted forward as her adrenaline surged, rushing towards the monsters instead of away like everyone else.<p>

This seemed to confused them for a moment. She took the opportunity and jumped, vaulting over the head of the lead manticore. Her boots touched its back for a moment then she was straddling it. It roared and bucked, trying to throw her off, and hit the monsters around it. Kaie dodged the tail that lashed towards her head and slid her knives between its ribs.

It exploded in a cloud of dust and Kaie hit the ground on her stomach. She cursed loudly and heard Nico laughing. She always forgot about that effect.

A manticore roared above her and Kaie rolled instinctively. A scorpion tale struck the concrete where her head had been a moment before. She rolled back and threw one knife as she stood. It slid through the air striking a manticore between the eyes and the creature disintegrated.

She glanced over her shoulder. Nico circled the final manticore. Kaie was impressed. He had actually managed to keep up.

She waited till the creature had its back to her and crossed the distance between where she stood and the creature before lunging. Her knife slid under the creature's jaw and dust blew to the ground. The wind picked up, sweeping the strangely colored dust from the parking lot. Kaie smiled, at least someone was cleaning up her messes this time.

Nico came up along side her. "Not bad for a ghost boy right?" Kaie gave him a half smile. "Not awful."

The stood for a moment, looking at each other. Kaie couldn't stop herself from admiring his eyes. Dark brown bordering on black. Unique.

Sirens echoed in the distance and they broke apart. Kaie glanced away, cheeks on fire. Nico cleared his throat, "We should probably go."

Kaie nodded and moved to the bikes, picking up the knife she had thrown during the fight. She mentally scolded herself. No getting involved with hot demigods. It would end badly no matter what. She needed to follow her original rules and maybe everything would end up okay.

Ten minutes later, against Kaie's better judgment, they ended up sharing a room in a ratty motel just off the highway a few miles down the road from the Mcdonalds. They were both exhausted. Trying to continue tonight would lead to one of them ending up wrapped around a tree or in a ditch.

Nico immediately collapsed onto one of the twin beds. "So who sent the manticores? Normally I would assume one of the gods but..."

Kaie dropped her bag on the bed, sat on the edge, and began pulling off her boots. "I'm going to assume it was whoever opened the death gate. They must know who I am and trying to stop me before I can figure out where the gate is."

"Do you know _who_ it is though?" Kaie glared at him, "I have no clue."

Frustration was etched onto Nico's face. "I thought that's what we were trying to do."

"Nico. I am not a seer, prophet, or mind reader. I have almost to clue what the hell I doing except I know I have to find and figure out how to close a deathgate before hordes of undying monsters rise up and attack cities, Camp Halfblood, Olympus, and whatever the hell else they feel like going after. There are thousands of people in Greek mythology alone. It could also be anyone from another mythology or a mortal who stumbled on the idea of a deathgate. So tell me where exactly should I start?"

Kaie fell backwards, head hitting the thin pillows. She stared up at the ceiling feeling horribly overwhelmed with no help. Nico didn't count. He was a glorified parole officer she told herself.

"New York."

"What?" Kaie sat up and looked over.

Nico was staring at the ceiling, face scrunched in thought. It was a strange look on him. Kaie wanted to laugh but her body ached from the manticore fight and a day of travel.

"That's where I would start normally. But we were already there. And it's not Chicago either since you lived there. Not the northeast at all then." He hesitated.

"You seem lost in thought. I know that it's unfamiliar territory. Should I send a rescue party?" Kaie couldn't stop the sarcasm from coming out.

Nico glared at her while still lying down. An admirable feat. "I'm actually working here thank you very much Gray Lady. Feel free to start doing your job anytime."

Kaie smiled but it disappeared upon hearing him use her title. It didn't sound right. With a start Kaie realized she didn't want Nico to think of her as the Gray Lady. She sighed and cursed silently, collapsing back onto the pillows.

"You okay?" Nico had sat up while she was distracted and was looking at her with concern.

"Fine. Just thinking." She replied bluntly. "I'm still getting a tug from the west so I say we keep heading that way in the morning." She returned to business before he could say anything else. The room was silent for a moment before Nico agreed. 

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><p><strong>Thank you to everyone who has reviewed. It has helped a lot. Please keep up the good work. I'm trying to decide how much I want to include the canon characters (besides Nico) in the story. Right now they could either be very involved or barely. I'm leaning towards the first but I wanted to get your opinion first.<strong>


	15. Chapter 15

**I just wanted to thank everyone who has stayed with the story. I thought it would be shorter than this but I'm having too much fun with the story to end it anytime soon and new readers as still subscribing (Thanks for that). Anyway, The best is yet to come. Please Review!**

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><p>They were up early the next morning and back on the road in less than an hour. As they rode, they started talking about their childhoods and growing up. Kaie's had been normal by a demigod's standards. She had been moved between foster families for years and used a mix of gymnastics, fencing, and martial arts classes to teach herself how to fight for the thirteenth time. Nico matched her stories of high school drama with years of camp gossip.<p>

Twice during the conversation Kaie had shut off the com link from her bike without giving Nico a reason. It would last an hour or so then she would come back on and apologize. Nico was surprised that it didn't annoy him.

At a fundamental level he understood. Bianca had told him his fatal flaw was to hold grudges and he recognized that now. He still did it but he recognized it. Kaie's seemed to be similar. Holding everything until pressure cause something to break from the stress.

"So what's else has been going on at the camp lately?" Kaie's voice came back through Nico's speakers once again.

"The usual drama from the little kids."

"Don't you ignore them?"

"Pretty much" Nico replied honestly.

"What else?" Kaie prodded him as she swerved between two semis a car length ahead. Nico had always thought he was a reckless driver but she was reckless at an insane level.

"A pool started up back in June over which of the main couples are going to get engaged soon."

"Who are the main couples?" If a soccer mom hadn't leaned on her horn at that exact second Nico would have sworn he heard wistfulness in Kaie's voice.

"Clarisse and Chris, Katie and Travis, Percy and Annabeth. All three have more or less been together since after the second Titan war."

"Who's in the lead?"

"Percy and Annabeth of course." Silence fell and Nico thought Kaie had turned her com off again.

"Chris is the child of Hermes who kept looking at Clarisse in the dining hall right?" Her voice came back a few minutes later.

"Yup." Nico watched Kaie slide between a semi and the concrete wall of the highway with a few inches to spare at over ninety miles an hour. She truly was fearless...or suicidal. Nico shook away the dark thoughts. He hadn't known her for long but he knew Kaie was stronger than that.

"Hundred bucks on Chris and Clarisse."

Nico laughed. "You sure you want to make that bet? They've been fighting since May."

"I'm sure." Nico started to laugh but stopped when a muffled cry echoed through the headsets. Ahead, he saw Kaie's bike waiver, heading for the concrete divider between the lanes, before straightening at the last minute.

"Kaie!" Nico was surprised by the worry that crept into his voice which only grew as time passed without her answering. He followed her off the highway and into a dirt parking lot, skidding to a stop along side her as she pulled off her helmet.

Her eyes were blood shot and a crimson tear rolled down her left cheek.

Worry gnawed at Nico's stomach. "Are you okay? What happened?"

He realized Kaie was shaking. She breathed out slowly, regaining her composure. "Massive backlash. Wouldn't have happened if I still had the first implant in." Bitterness crept into her voice.

"Backlash from what?" Nico asked carefully, knowing he wouldn't like the answer.

"The deathgate. A whole lot of monsters were just raised by it."

"How many is a whole lot?" Nico asked slowly. Kaie looked over at him, meeting his gaze for the first times since they had pulled over. The bloodshot was fading from her eyes. Furious steel gray took its place. "Hundred. Two hundred easy." Nico cussed fluently for several minutes.

"I have a better location for the deathgate though." Nico nodded "You okay to ride?" Kaie nodded, her resolve solidified. "Lets get as close as we can before nightfall and contact Olympus and Camp Halfblood then. Kaie nodded again and pulled her helmet back on.

"Which way?" Nico asked as he followed suit.

"Southwest."

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><p>Three hours later they were once again in a ratty motel in a tiny town in the middle of nowhere in Kansas. "Is there even anything in Kansas?" Nico muttered with annoyance. He was beginning to think he liked waking up covered in sand better than waking up in these roach motels. Regardless, they were both exhausted and they needed to contact the gods.<p>

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><p>Kaie dropped her bag on one of the beds and headed into the bathroom.<p>

"Well?" She looked back at Nico when he didn't follow. The confused deer in the headlights look on his face was priceless.

"Shower. Steam. Iris message." Realization dawned on Nico's face. Kaie laughed and rolled her eyes.

"Get your head out of the gutter."

Nico gave her a crooked grin. "How do you know what I was thinking if you weren't thinking the same thing?" Kaie couldn't stop herself from blushing as Nico walked past her and into the bathroom.

He turned the shower on high as she followed him and closed the door. The tiny room was already filling up with steam after only a moment . The size made it easy for the steam to collect enough for a Iris message, unfortunately it left very little room for Kaie and Nico to respect each others space.

Kaie reached into her pocket and pulled out and gold coin. "Gods' Hall, Olympus." She didn't bother the prayer or respect demigods had to offer.

The image formed almost instantaneously. The six eldest gods sat on their thrones. They had apparently been waiting to hear from her. The rest of the hall was empty.

Kaie push back her sudden annoyance at being in this position. She could be in college right now, getting a pre-law degree but no. She had to be fighting monsters and saving the world.

"Well?" Zeus spoke for the group.

"It opened today. At least a hundred and fifty creatures are walking now."

The gods exchanged glances but kept their composures. "Do you have a better location now?" Hestia spoke quietly from the edge of the mist.

Kaie nodded. "Arizona or New Mexico. I should be able to narrow it down further tomorrow." She could see relief in the gods' faces. The immortal being truly feared the destruction a deathgate would create.

"I will send my Hunters to the area to assist you." Artemis walked into the image. Kaie knew that Zeus must have called her in. Kaie nodded once and the gods' image disappeared from the mist. She turned and walked out of the bathroom, leaving the door open so the mist would dissipate.

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><p>Nico followed Kaie out after the Iris message ended. He could tell she was nervous. He wasn't sure what in particular she was nervous about, but something was bothering her. She had stopped by the door and was in the midst of running a hand through her hair. It hung loose for the first time since Nico had seen her in her apartment.<p>

"I need food." She turned and grabbed a thin black wallet from the front of her bag.

"I guess we better get food then. I would hate to see you hungry." Nico grinned crookedly at the glare she threw at him and followed her out of the motel room, locking the door after them. "Where to?"

"There was a roadhouse about half a mile down the road." Kaie told him as she walked past where the bikes were parked.

Nico walked quickly to catch up. "We're walking?"

Kaie rolled her eyes. "Nico, I realize you are a lazy ass but even you should be able to manage a short walk."

Nico sighed and relented. Muttering a short response under his breath.

"What was that?" Kaie raised an eyebrow as they walked across a deserted lot.

"I said I am not an ass." Nico bumped into her as he walked around an abandoned and rusting refrigerator.

"So you don't dispute that you are in fact lazy?" He hesitated. Kaie smirked, knowing she had won.

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><p><strong>Please Review! I have the next chapter almost done so once I have a few more reviews I will upload it. <strong>


	16. Chapter 16

**Thanks to all the people who have reviewed. Please keep up the good work, your thoughts help alot.**

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><p>The parking lot of the road house was crowed with motorcycles that reminded Nico of Ares' bike and massive eighteen wheelers. It seemed vehicles here were required to either have skull, flame, or confederate flag decals on them some where. Neon light from beer ads shone from the grimy windows of the building. Loud music and voices spilled out every time the door opened.<p>

Nico glanced over at Kaie and raised an eyebrow. She grinned and walked into the roadhouse, leaving Nico to follow.

The large room was dark and packed. Scantily clad waitresses moved smoothly around beefy men clad in leather and plaid. Nico found himself annoyed when Kaie drew several appreciative looks from around the room as she moved towards the bar.

Kaie had already ordered a beer by the time Nico reached the bar. He tried to do the same but got carded. Kaie's laughter as he pulled out his wallet and proved he was legally twenty one was worth the trouble. Something he had hidden and since Bianca's death stirred deep in his gut.

"You sure know how to pick bars. First Mexico now this." Kaie sat down next to Nico as he spoke.

"Shut it. After this is all over I'll drag you somewhere really fancy and make you pay." She bit her lip as she grinned.

Nico couldn't stop himself from teasing. "So we're going to be friends after this escapade is over? I thought I was just a glorified parole officer." He put a hand on his chest in mock hurt as Kaie narrowed her eyes.

"Shut up Death Breath."

"See. That's the type of thing that makes me think you don't like me."

"Shut up or I will make you shut up." Kaie told him playfully.

"Really? Nico's interest was piqued. "And how exactly would you do that?"

Kaie opened her mouth to respond but was interrupted. A severely overweight and sweaty trucker and two of his friends had come up on her other side. "Why don'tcha leave the kid and come with us beautiful?" His words were slurred. He was obviously drunk but Nico realized he didn't care. All Chiron's warnings about not using demigod abilities on regular mortals flew from his head.

He started to stand but Kaie pushed him back down onto the bar stool before turning her attention to the other men. "Walk away now while you can or your friends will be carrying you away." Her voice held the same age and emotionless quality from when they were on Olympus.

The man started to respond but was interrupted by a loud rumbling. So loud it echoed over the pounding music and shook the building's windows. Silence fell as people looked around in confusion.

"The sky was clear when we came in right?" Nico nodded at Kaie's question and stood.

"So its not thunder."

"Probably not."

"Di immortales." Kaie cussed and stood before walking towards the door as a second rumble echoed, followed by the nervous murmurs of the mortals. The mortals seemed to sense that something was wrong, they watched nervously as Kaie pulled back dusty wooden blinds to glance out into the dark night.

"Get Down!" In an instant, she spun and pushed the people closest to her against the floor. Nico dropped on instinct as a boulder of ice, the size of a Mini Cooper crashed through the front of the building, taking out the door and part of the wall.

Chaos erupted as people panicked, stampeding as they tried to find a way out. Shadowy figures walked towards the hole in the wall, laughing.

Kaie walked backwards slowly from the hole. Flipping over tables, chairs, and pool tables as she moved to create a rudimentary barricade to slow the monsters down. The silver on her left arm glowed slightly and Nico could see the effort it took on her face.

A few seconds later, she was crouched next to him behind a pool table. The design on her arm still glowed, the dim light showing that it was outlined in blood. He raised an eyebrow but Kaie simply shrugged noncommittally.

Frost spread across the floor, coating anything it touched. "Hyperbolean Giants." The words were accompanied by white mist as the air temperature dropped.

"We need to keep them distracted and away from the people." Nico nodded as he pulled out his sword hilt and activated the gem, allowing the blade to fold out. Some of the crowd had gotten out the back and through a broken window but more than two dozen people were huddled behind various tables and the bar. Keeping them safe was the immediate priority.

"Gray Lady." A harsh voice echoed in the quiet.

"Now's not a good time. Come back later!" Nico couldn't help but laugh at Kaie's response. He immediately stopped though when the giant did the same. All humor in the situation was gone instantly.

"Come with us now and we will spare these mortals." Nico saw a calculating look in Kaie's eyes before she responded to the giants. She seemed to know what she was doing.

She half stood so her head was visible over the top of the flipped poor table. "Really?" She dropped backwards, flat against the ground when a chunk of ice the size of a cannonball flew threw the air her head has just occupied.

"I find that really hard to believe when stuff like that happens." She waved a hand in Nico's face silently as she spoke. "Mind repeating that offer?" Gesturing quickly for him to go left before counting down from five with her fingers.

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><p>They moved instinctively. Kaie jumped over the pool table, pushing off of it and landing on the first giant's shoulders. Nico slid under his panicked attack and hamstrung him. Kaie stabbed him in the back as he fell forward, rolling away as he dissolved into golden dust. The whole thing took only a few seconds.<p>

Four more stood in the doorway, their grins disappearing quickly.

"Even split or double team?" Nico glanced at Kaie in the split second they had as before the giants attacked.

"Double team." Kaie jumped sideways as a six foot club swung towards her, shattering the floor as it hit. She pushed off the bar and aimed used the momentum to lunge for the giant's eyes. While it was distracted, Nico lunged under the swing and stabbed upwards. Two down, three to go.

A moment later, Kaie was crouched on top of the bar, her breath coming out in white clouds. Nico was a few feet away breathing just as hard. They moved together, not needing words to know what the other was thinking here.

Kaie went low this time, shattering a knee cap while Nico moved sideways, slicing sideways. He spun under an attack from another giant as the third exploded into dust and stabbed it in the foot. While it was distracted, Kaie jumped on its back and sliced its throat.

The final giant stood in the hole in the wall, looking much more unsure of itself. Kaie smiled cruelly at it. "You have five seconds to turn around and walk away." It spun on its heel and raced away. Kaie half expected to see a cloud of dust like in the cartoons.

"Why the hell did you let it go?" Nico's furious voice broke the instant of silence.

"We can follow it."

"How!" He threw his hands up, exasperated.

"You can sense auras remember?"

"Oh." Nico watched the giant race away, opening himself to the auras around him. After searching through the dozens of mortal ones, he found the giant's. Sure enough, he could follow it easily.

Kaie glanced back at the mortals who were beginning to move out from where they had hidden. One of them, an older man who looked like a trailer park Santa Claus pointed a rifle at them. Nico hadn't noticed yet, still focused on the giant running into the distance. "You're like them. Monsters"His fearful voice was shaky as he formed the words. His finger spasmed and a gunshot echoed in the cold air.

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><p><strong>Bad news. I'm going into the hospital for an operation and will be there for several days. Unfortunately, that means I'm not going to be able to update the story till the end of the week. I'm sorry for the delay but stay with the story, I promise the wait will be worth it.<strong>


	17. Chapter 17

**Sorry it took me so long to update and that it was the after a cliffhanger. Anyway, please review this chapter. I'm dying to see what you guys think.**

**And now the long awaited update:  
><strong>

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><p>Nico turned as one of the men spoke. He would be able to follow the giant's trail easily. Maybe they could actually get some real rest before following it tomorrow.<p>

"You're like them. Monsters."

Out of nowhere, Kaie hit him. Knocking him against the debris covered floor as a gunshot went off. As he tried to figure out what happened the world dissolved and he realized Kaie had used her ability that was similar to his shadow traveling.

He had assumed that they were similar methods but this was nothing like he had imagined. He looked around, almost as if in slow motion, as the world dissolved into a haze. His surroundings nothing more than streaks of color moving around them. Kaie was slumped against him, her hand gripping his forearm so hard, he knew it would leave a bruise. They stayed still for a split second while the world blurred around them like a paintbrush running through watercolors before everything went white, blinding Nico momentarily.

When the spots disappeared from his eyes, they were in the motel room. Nico was propped up against one of the beds while Kaie still leaned against him. She released her death grip on his arm. Delicate finger shaped bruises where already forming. He started to complain but stopped when he saw how pale she was. "You okay?"

She winced, tried to stand and dropped onto the nearest bed. "Don't think so." Fear flooded Nico and he knelt beside her, "Did you get hit?" She nodded weakly. "Back of my left shoulder."

Nico moved behind her to look at the area. The area was soaked in blood but the entry hole was clearly visible just under her left shoulder blade. He touched the area and felt her tense as she let out a hiss of pain.

"How much field medicine do you know how to do?" She asked between gritted teeth. Nico hesitated. He had never been injured badly outside of a major battle and a child of Apollo or Chiron had always been close by.

"Not much." He admitted after a moment. "I have ambrosia in my bag though."

"Not gonna work." Kaie bit out the words around another hiss of pain.

"What?"

Kaie half turned to look at Nico. "Like this, with the second implant still in, I'm almost completely human. They tiniest bit would kill me. Take the implant out and I'm back to being the true Gray Lady. A ancient immortal. It would be nothing more than sustenance. Either way it will not heal me like it would heal you."

"Crap." Nico sat back, digesting the information. Trying to find another answer. "I could shadow travel back to Camp and get an Apollo kid and bring them back." He said after a moment.

"You're exhausted now. You wouldn't have the strength." Kaie told him simply. "Just take the bullet out."

Nico froze, sure he had heard her wrong. "Sorry what?"

"Take. The. Bullet. Out." Kaie enunciated each word slowly. "Its a small caliber bullet and it can't be in to deep because it didn't pass all the way through. I'll walk you through it."

Nico sighed, realizing she wasn't giving him a choice. "Go to the nearest drugstore and buy a bunch of gauze, medical tape, tweezers, and hydrogen peroxide." Nico nodded, memorized the list and vanished into the shadows.

He chose a dozen miles away from the motel, they had passed it earlier while on the road. He knew instinctively that buying large quantities of first aid equipment near a roadstop that would be crawling with the police by now, would end badly. Quickly buying everything Kaie had said, as well as protein bars, they needed to eat sometime, Nico shadow traveled back to the motel room.

Kaie had moved to sit on the corner of the bed. Her blood soaked shirt was wadded up on the floor, leaving Kaie only a dark green bra that left little to the imagination. Despite the circumstances Nico's male instincts took over.

"Nico!" Kaie's voice snapped like a whip, bringing Nico back out of his head. "Eyes up here." She told him weakly, her face pale. Now that he could see that blood still leaked from the wound, he was no longer distracted. Well, no longer as distracted as before.

He cleaned the wound quickly, knowing the dangers of infection. A pile of blood and hydrogen peroxide soaked towels accumulated next to the bed.

Nico felt a twinge of guilt every time Kaie shifted in pain. By the time he was working on getting the bullet Kaie had resorted to biting on a shred of towel to keep from biting her tongue. He used a thin stiletto blade Tyson had made for him years ago and the tweezers to find the bullet and work it out. Not the best method but Kaie had explained how to do it simply enough.

After several minutes of tense silence, Nico managed to pull the small lump of lead out. He quickly started to pack gauze on the wound as the blood flow increased.

"So how do you know about bullet wounds?" Nico asked out of curiosity but also to distract Kaie.

She spat out the small wad of cloth and grimaced. "I've been shot before." "

What?" Nico hadn't expected that.

"Not in this life. The one before my previous one." Kaie told him after a moment.

"When was this?" Nico couldn't stop his curiosity.

Kaie glared at him as he finished taping gauze to the wound. She stood stiffly and moved to the other side of the room, away from him, and rummaged through her bag with her right hand.

Nico stayed on the bed, annoyed. "Give me some specifics." He heard her sigh despite the distance before she turned back to look at him.

"1777."

Nico's jaw dropped. "Any connection to the Revolutionary War?" He tried to be nonchalant and failed.

Kaie smiled wryly "Some. An important demigod needed to be kept safe from a certain threat." She lay down on her side, careful not to bump the wound, on the bed Nico sat on. He hesitated then fell backwards to lie on his back. They were only a few inches apart.

"So you were shot?" Kaie nodded. "First one hit my leg." She hesitated, her eyes unfocused. Nico knew reflexively that she was remembering.

"Why did you get shot?" Nico prodded softly after a moment, hoping that talking about it would help her vent everything trapped in her memories.

"Had to make sure he stayed safe. It was the only way." Kaie murmured quietly, almost as if to herself. Her eyes were starting to drift shut. "Almost didn't see the second one in time to stop it too."

Her eyelids closed and Nico realized she was already asleep seconds later. Nico was left alone with the gut instinct that the second one had been fatal for Kaie in that life.

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><p>He started to drift off but was interrupted by his phone going off. He scrambled for it, hoping the noise didn't wake Kaie.<p>

"Yeah?" He walked into the bathroom and closed the door to muffle the sound.

"How is everything?" Annabeth's voice came over the speaker. "Good. We've stopped for the night. Let me transfer this to IM?" "Sure thing." Annabeth hung up and stuffed Nico the phone into the back pocket of his jeans before pulling out a drachma.

He turned on the shower and left mist fill the room. "Lady Iris please accept this offering." He threw it into the mist and it vanished. "Annabeth Chase, Camp Halfblood."

The upper half of Annabeth's body formed in the mist, she grinned broadly upon seeing Nico. "You look exhausted." She told him with a grin which vanished when she saw his hands. Blood from taking care of Kaie's wound had begun to dry. "What happened?" Her voice was serious and she gave him a death glare.

Nico filled her in on everything, the Chimera, the Hyperboreans, Kaie getting shot, and the important fact that they could directly track one of the deathgate creatures now.

"Rachel's getting worse." Annabeth told him after digesting his information. "She says the future keeps changing so fast she can't get a decent look at it."

Nico nodded, unsurprised, before opening up to the person he viewed as a big sister. "This whole thing is a mess but my gut's telling me it's gonna get worse before it gets better. I don't think Kaie will want to get more demigods involved because of whatever happened last time she lived, but if my gut's right we're going to need help from the senior campers."

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><p>Annabeth agreed and promised to start preparing the senior campers in case they needed to move quickly as well as do some research into Kaie's last life. She and Nico were both too intrigued.<p>

She was about to end the IM but she could resist needling Nico first. "So its Kaie and not the Gray Lady?" She cut off the mist generator in the Athena cabin, Nico's red face being the last thing visible through the connection before it dissipated.

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><p><strong>()<strong>

**Well? Please Review. With everything going on in my life post surgery I've been struggling with the storyline so reviews really help keep me focused. And to my best reviewer ffsah1: sorry again about the cliffhanger and thanks for the well wishes. It was spinal fusion surgery. I've been stuck on my back for almost two weeks which is why I couldn't update.**


	18. Chapter 18

Kaie sat up slowly, freezing when she realized where she was. Yes she was still in the ratty motel but more specifically, she was in the same bed as Nico in jeans and a bra. As if it couldn't get worse her head was resting on his chest and he had an arm wrapped around her.

Her movement must have woken him because a moment later she heard a soft "Well damn," and Nico's arm moved away from her.

Kaie rolled to the other side of the bed and sat up. The dull pain in her shoulder spiked as the muscles shifted with the movement.

"You okay?" Nico asked after she let out a hiss of pain. The worry in his voice gave her strength and she sat up on the side of the bed, and nodded.

Nico quickly removed the old gauze and replaced it. The wound had finally clotted sometime in the night so there was no fresh blood. Neither spoke as he worked.

"I'm gonna get a quick shower then we can go." Nico brushed past her with a pile of cloths in his hands, avoiding eye contact.

Kaie was glad. Ignoring attraction was easier than dealing with it. Especially now. Especially when it was her own. She began to move when she heard the water turn on. Wincing in pain as she slid on a fresh t-shirt.

The gunshot wound was in the worse possible place. She could barely move her left arm without hitting a wall of pain so hard it was a struggle not to black out. Rummaging through the supplies Nico had bought last night she quickly ate three protein bars, more to get the calories in her body than out of hunger, and sighed in relief when she found a packaged up sling.

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><p>Nico stepped out of the shower and changed quickly. Trying to focus on anything but the woman in the room outside. He slid his silver skull ring onto his thumb and walked out, surprised to see Kaie sitting on the edge of one of the beds. Her left arm was in the sling he had bought as a precaution last night.<p>

Her face was back to its stony professional composure. "Bad news."

He could tell from the way she held herself that she could barely move her left arm. The sling was as much a way of keeping it from being in the way in a fight as it was to protect the arm.

"You're not gonna be able to ride by yourself." He told her the facts she already knew.

"We ditch my bike here and dump some stuff so there's less baggage. I ride behind you." Nico nodded, accepting her plan. It was simple enough.

"But there' another problem." She continued and Nico's brows knit together in confusion.

"I'm a double handed fighter."

"Crap." Nico let out a breath as he realized what she meant. Every fight he had seen her in so far it was the same deadly twin knives working in tandem. Loosing use of one arm took away half of her ability and made her much more vulnerable.

"We can figure that out later." He pushed the thought to the back of his mind.

"We're gonna get attacked again sooner or later." Kaie reminded him as they left the motel room.

"Lets just hope its later." Nico straddled his bike, trying to ignore the twinge in his chest as Kaie climbed on behind him and pulled her helmet on. She wrapped her good arm tightly around his waist and let her left arm stay pinned between them in the sling.

"You got the aura?" Her voice came through the speakers in his helmet as the bike's engine roared to life.

"Yup." They raced away from the motel. It was easy now for Nico to pick through the strands of energy that surrounded them, finding the one from the roadhouse and just following it. It was as clear and easy to him as following Kaie on her bike had been the day before.

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><p>They drove for the entire day. Nico following the giant's aura and Kaie following the pull of the deathgate. Neither were surprised that they two signals ran parallel. Leading to somewhere in the Southwest. By nightfall, they had narrowed it down to an area on the Arizona, New Mexico border that was a massive national preserve. Barely populated and a rare destination for tourists. They would stop for the night and reach the area late the next day if everything went according to plan.<p>

Kaie couldn't stop herself from recognizing that the area was perfect for assembling an army unnoticed. She kept her dark thoughts to herself as they rode. They would know the extend of the deathgate's influence soon enough. She should be able to sense the approximate number of monsters once they were in range. Though she didn't exactly know what that range was.

Instead, she focused on how to destroy the gate and who could be responsible for its creation. She knew in her gut that the deathgate was somehow connected to the last Titan war. Somehow a from of retribution.

The next day, the sun was beginning its descent in the sky when they stopped at the entrance to the The Apache National Forest that branched off the interstate.

The hair on the back of Nico's back was raised. It wasn't the ''someone's watching you'' feeling but it told him monsters were close. Real close.

"C'mon." Kaie pulled him off the motorcycle. Barely giving him time to turn it off. Moving quickly, they rolled it into the tree line and left it there with their helmets.

"It can't be more than a few miles." Kaie's voice came from behind a tree. "We can scout before night falls and figure out how to go from there."

Nico nodded and went through his bags while Kaie seemed to do the same. Weapons, protein bars, bandages, and flashlights were the priorities. They left almost everything else a few feet from the motorcycle.

"Ladies first." Kaie gestured at the woods with her good hand and grinned cheekily at Nico before shrugging on darker jacket. Apache National Park was a massive area of scraggly trees and thick brush covering small rolling hills. With dark clothing, they should be able to scout without being seen. Key word: should.

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><p>Nico rolled his eyes at her humor and jerked his head towards the south and Kaie nodded. They both could feel the energy coming from that direction. They walked for almost two hours and the sun was beginning to set when Nico saw it happened.<p>

One minute Kaie was moving as quietly as a Hunter through the woods, the next minute she was on the ground curled in the fetal position and holding her head, screaming.

He immediately covered her mouth to muffle the sound. If there were monsters in these woods, and his instincts told him there were, they would be attracted to any strange sound. Nico did the only thing he could. He held her until the sobs seemed to subside.

After a moment Kaie straight up inhumanly fast. She seemed dazed and unaware of her surroundings.

"Kaie?" No response.

"You okay?" Recognition seemed to dawn in her eyes after his second try to get her attention. The normal dark gray of her eyes was streaked with crimson and blood ran down her face in tear streaks. It was like what had happened days before when she had felt creatures pulled through the deathgate but amplified.

"No." Kaie's cold voice reinforced Nico's trepidation.

"How many." He asked softly.

"Hundreds." There was no emotion in her face as she stared into the distance. "Hundreds of monsters. I couldn't block my mind in time to stop the backlash."

"How far?" Nico kept his voice soft but strong, trying to give her something to hold onto.

"Mile and half to the edge of the group. The gate itself is about a mile after that."

"Are they moving?"

She shook her head.

"They're just waiting. An army of unkillable monsters."

Nico knew he had to do something and took a chance. He crouched in front of her, pulling her face close to his, forcing her to focus on him. His dark brown eyes met her own and he saw fear. Raw fear.

"I can't fight that many." Her voice was barely a whisper and her eyes unfocused. "Hey." Nico tried to pulled her back but she jerked away.

"Hey!" His voice came out as a hiss as he forced her to look at him again. "You don't have to." "It's my job." Kaie's voice was still empty of all emotion. "It's why I'm alive."

"Your not alone. Listen to me. There are dozens of demigods who would be here in an instant to help you if you asked. This isn't a standard case. The gods can't barred from acting here right? Who ever created the deathgate wants a fight? They'll get one. Olympus will always fight."

Something changed in Kaie's gaze, the fear was still there but it was retreating as calculating thoughts overwhelmed it.

"Don't forget you're stuck with me too." Nico reminded her before giving her a small smile.

"For how long?" Something changed in Kaie's gaze as she spoke. Nico couldn't tell what it was but it was new and unexpected. "For as long as you want." Nico told her slowly.

Her reaction was quick. Her lips crashing down on his in a kiss as he responded in kind. They finally broke apart for air after several minutes.

"Good thing I'm not tired of you yet." Kaie stood with a sly smile. All traces of fear gone or hidden.

"We split up. I go to Olympus and you to Camp Halfblood. I think you're right,"

"Aren't I always?" Nico interrupted with a smirk.

Kaie glared but the glare had a heat to it that distracted Nico horribly.

"If I can bend a certain rule..." Kaie broke off, caught up in plans now. It reminded Nico if Annabeth.

"You'll meet me at Camp?" Nico caught Kaie's hand as she began to turn. She looked at him with a raised eyebrow then nodded.

She pulled his head down to hers for another kiss before breaking away.

"Get the strongest demigods ready. Not all the camp. The strongest and oldest, anyone else would simply be cannon fodder. Think strike team rather than army." She stopped, watching him for a moment then smiled.

Her form began to dissolve at the edges and Nico realized she was beginning to teleport. He let go of her hand.

"You're stuck with me too." Her voice echoed as she disappeared in the blink of an eye. Nico stood alone in the forest for a moment before gathering the energy necessary for shadow traveling and disappeared also.

A moment later, he was standing in the center of the dining hall. It was full of eating demigods who all fell silent at the sight of the son of Hades.

"Did you manage loose her?" Mr. D's scornful voice came from the head table. Nico turned to look at the god.

"She's on Olympus. You need to be there." Normally speaking to Mr. D in such a commanding tone would result in a new dolphin for the Atlantic Ocean but this time he paled slightly to the shock of those who noticed. He nodded once and stood. A key card appeared in his hand and he disappeared in a shower of golden light.

Silence fell again to be broke a moment later by Percy who stood from his place alone at the Poseidon table. "What's going on?"

"Assemble the cabin leaders in the Big House." Nico told him before turning to the Ares table. He easily found Clarisse who had half risen when he appeared. "Get patrols going on the borders now."

Chances were none of the deathgate monsters were nearby but taking chances wasn't an option. Clarisse nodded and began giving orders to other Ares campers. Chaos erupted as other demigods began to panic, asking questions.

"Quiet!" Percy tried to reign them in as he moved to stand by his younger cousin but failed. Nico waited a moment then used his ability to begin opening a crevice in the floor of the dining hall.

He didn't have to actually open it. The shaking caused the demigods to drop back into their seats and look around.

"Quiet." His voice was harsh in the confused silence as all eyes fell on him again. "Everyone goes to their cabins. Now. Ares' get the borders secure. Cabin leaders, Big House ten minutes." He walked out and noise began again as the entire camp began to disperse.

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**So? Tell me guys what you think! All reviews help, the more specific the better. And thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far. Next Chapter: Kaie and the Olympians have a little chat.**


	19. Chapter 19

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter and please keep it up. Every one helps me shape the story. **

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><p>Kaie stood in the center of the gods' throne room. Zeus and Hera sat on their thrones talking in hushed tones while the rest of the room was empty. Hermes had just been dispatched to assemble the other gods, including Hades.<p>

Kaie turned to look at the hearth. The flames burned brightly, stronger than she had ever seen it in the past.

"Surprised at the strength?" Kaie glanced over her shoulder as Hestia came to stand next to her. She was in her grown form. A tall woman of indeterminable age with curly brown hair and a gentle smile. She looked very similar to Hera in this form but where the Queen of the Gods was regal. Hestia had a pure warmth that comforted you.

"Olympus is stronger than I have ever seen it." Kaie answered truthfully, bits and pieces of her past lives coming forth from her memories. Arguing gods and ruined buildings at the forefront this time. "Young Perseus changed much when he made the gods swear the new oath." Hestia told her kindly before taking her seat by the hearth gracefully.

Kaie turned away from the warmth of the flames as the sound of gods appearing echoed in the room. Dionysus and Hephaestus appeared at the same time. Dionysus' arrival told Kaie that Nico was back at the camp. She was filled with a sudden warmth and the most human part of her wanted hurry this meeting so she could go there sooner.

Within the next few minutes the other gods had appeared on their thrones and Hades arrived from his kingdom, taking a seat by Hestia.

"What have you found Gray Lady?" Zeus once again spoke for the gods.

"Wait." Hades interrupted, earning him a fierce glare from his brother. "I want to know what happened to her shoulder."

Kaie grimaced. She was surrounded by immortal beings in perfect form while she had just been hiking through woods after days of sleeping in bad motels and being shot. Zeus raised an eyebrow at her silence.

"I got shot."

"Apollo." Zeus looked at his son who was lounged on his throne, legs thrown over one arm, his head resting on the other. He was asleep and beginning to snore. Most of the gods rolled their eyes. A bolt of lightning streaked out of the sky and Apollo fell out of his throne. "I'm awake!" He looked around at the gods watching him before focusing on his father who gestured towards Kaie. Apollo noticed the sling for the first time. "Awesome!"

Kaie glared and Apollo backed down. This made Kaie feel a little better. Even mostly human she still had standing among the gods. "Let me heal it?" Kaie nodded and sat in the chair that appeared beside her. Apollo worked quickly, taking off the bandages before healing the muscle and skin as the gods looked on.

"So how did you get shot?" Hades prodded, earning him an amused glance from Kaie who recognized his test.

"Don't give me that bullshit. I might not have been alive since 1883 but I have not forgotten any of your tricks. I know you were watching Nico every chance you got. You can't see me so you sent him with me."

"True." Hades acquiesced to her statement with a sly grin. "Thank you." His gaze reinforcing how much he loved his son and his fear when Nico had almost been shot.

Kaie nodded, knowing how rare it was to be thanked by a god. There were several murmurs from around the room as those who had not watched Nico wanted to know what happened. "We were attacked by several Hyperboreans and because the Mist has been weakened by the deathgate's existence, several mortals saw something close to the truth. One freaked out, decided we were monsters also, and fired at us. I was hit as I teleported out.

The gods accepted this before catching on to the specifics.

"What do you mean the Mist has been weakened?" Zeus spoke from his throne, his voice commanding once again. Kaie let his tone slide.

"That is one of the reasons I have come back to Olympus. As I traveled I realized the closer you are to the deathgate, the weaker the Mist is. It is being stretched to hide the monsters pulled through deathgate and the sheer number is overwhelming it." She felt like facepalming but stopped herself. The Gray Lady knew the oldest of the ancient laws better than the gods and it was part of her duty to remind them of specifics when necessary. "You forget that the Mist is a finite resource and not unlimited like many believe."

Realization dawned in the faces of gods as Kaie turned to scan the room.

"The events of the last ten years or so have severally reduced the Mist's strength." She told the grim faces.

"Do you know anything that will strengthen it again?" Athena's voice filled the silence for a moment.

Kaie hesitated, remembering past and the few options she could think of. "Possibly." She said after several minutes of thought.

The Goddess of Wisdom nodded, accepting it. Several other gods seemed more nervous though, shifting in their seats and muttering quietly.

"What else can you tell us?" Poseidon spoke this time and Kaie turned to look at the god of the seas.

"The army is massive and more creatures are being pulled through every day."

"How massive?" Hermes interrupted cautiously.

"At least nine hundred as of right now."

"That's not that bad." Ares said with a scoff.

Kaie turned the full force of her glare on him. Allowing every ounce of Gray Lady energy she could spare free. Mist around her became opaque, swirling around her of its own accord for a moment before fading back to its normal state. Without needing to look, Kaie knew her eyes had gone to their true form. Solid dark gray from corner to corner.

"Nine hundred creatures that cannot be killed for more than a moment before they rise again to attack you again with renewed energy. Nine hundred monsters capable of killing your children and mortals in mere moments. Nine hundred monsters willing to attack Olympus itself. Nine hundred monsters standing between me and the deathgate. I need to be next to it to seal it. Only once it is sealed can the monsters be killed permanently." Ares backed down instantly and nodded as the other gods went still. Kaie released the energy, feeling drained from using so much for such a short time.

"What can be done?" The King of the Gods spoke again after several minutes of silence.

"The only thing that can be done. Attack."

"You are many things Gray Lady, but you are not capable of taking on such an army alone. Especially with Lady Gaea's metal still in your body." Hestia's quiet voice came from the hearth, voicing what every god and goddess had been thinking.

"I know." Kaie told the gods quietly. Surprising many of them. After her last life they had not expected such honesty.

"Will you remove the metal?" Zeus asked quietly as he seemed to contemplate the problem.

"No. I..." Kaie trailed off as the metal that circled her upper left arm burned for a split second. She tried to vocalize the feeling. "I have a feeling releasing the full Gray Lady now would be..." She struggled again. "Explosive." She finally said before continuing.

"Nico returned to Camp HalfBlood to ask for demigod assistance." Every god in the throne room grimaced. Disliking the idea of their children taking on such a threat. They also knew though that they could not stop their children if they chose to fight along side the Gray Lady. Many had in the past.

Kaie pushed on, ignoring their looks, "I am here to ask for your help."

"I can offer my Hunters." Artemis said after another moment of silence as the other gods simply stared at Kaie. Kaie shook her head. "I need more than that. I need gods."

"We are sworn to distance ourselves from the affairs of mortals and demigods." Zeus cited the ancient laws.

Kaie shook her head and gave the King of the gods a small sly smile. "This is neither. I know for certain after being near it that this deathgate is was created by an immortal being. This is the affair of gods." She told them simply. Realization dawned in the faces of the immortals once again.

"Without true proof the elder gods could not be present." Zeus stroked his beard as he spoke and Kaie bit back the urge to laugh at the sight.

"Yes!" Ares' excited exclamation broke the tension as he jumped from his seat, the last to catch on to Kaie's meaning. "I am so in!" For a moment Kaie couldn't help but wonder if Ares had actually lost brain cells since her last life.

"As am I." Athena said simply Hermes, Artemis, and Apollo all nodded in agreement.

"I can offer automatons." Hephaestus said gruffly.

"I will stay at the camp and look after the little bastards smart enough not to follow you." Dionysus said slowly. Kaie nodded, knowing this to mean he would protect Camp Halfblood should any of the creatures escape the fight and make their way there. She had known Dionysus well enough in past lives to know that he actually cared about the Camp and the demigods there despite all evidence to the contrary.

"When do you plan to attack the deathgate?" Athena's voice intruded on Kaie's thoughts.

"Two days." Kaie decided even as she spoke. "I need to speak to the demigods for now."

The gods nodded in agreement and in acceptance almost as one and Kaie teleported to the Camp.

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**So, pure plot advancement, but it is necessary. Please review and let me know what you think. The more specific the better :D**


	20. Chapter 20

**Hope everyone in the U.S. had a good 4th of July. Mine got rained out. :(**

** Anyway, sorry it's taken a little longer to update but I've been working on some specifics in the story that needed changing.**

** Without further ado, the next chapter. Please Review!**

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><p>As the dining pavilion appeared around her, Kaie felt a sharp stabbing in her gut. The Mist was spread so thin now teleporting herself was becoming dangerous. She clutched the edge of the nearest table and waited a moment, steadying herself.<p>

Now that she was alone, away from the gods, and in the deserted dining pavilion all she wanted was sleep. She felt as though she could sleep for days but she knew she couldn't. Glancing up she could see that the lights in all the cabins were out but every light in the Big House was bright. The cabin leaders would be up there, waiting. Straightening with a sigh, she began the trek towards the large building.

Moments later, she was opening the door to the rec room, blinking in the bright light and ignoring the stares of the cabin leaders who were arranged around the room, sitting on everything from bean bag chairs to the pool table. Percy was closest to the door, forcing Kaie to maneuver carefully around him to avoid contact.

Moving through the room and it's silence, Kaie walked to the cabinets that held junk food and if she was right, Chiron's stash. In every life she had known Chiron he had a stash hidden somewhere close by. He loved his job but sometimes even the professionals need a break.

Her hand hit the back of one of the lower cabinets and a finger caught on a tiny hook. The back of the cabinet slid back and Kaie's hand fell onto a glass bottle. She pulled it out and inspected it in the light, ignoring the stares, clear glass exposed caramel colored liquid through a thin layer of dust.

"Dude! How did we not know that was there!" A sharp voice echoed in the silence as Kaie took a swallow, letting the alcohol burn her throat. She glanced at the speaker, one of Hermes' twins. Connor or Travis. She couldn't tell the difference.

"You've always assumed Dionysus' ban extended to the rest of camp. Chiron always has something lying around. And Dionysus isn't _quite_ as vindictive as you all seem to think he is." She took another swallow and caught Nico's gaze. "How much did you explain?"

"I got to all of it. How's the arm?" He had noticed the sling's absence.

"Healed. Apollo took care of it."

He raised an eyebrow. "How come you look so bad then?" Several of the campers threw him looks that called him crazy.

Kaie simply shook her head. "Real nice Nico." She sighed and leaned back against the counter. "I had trouble teleporting back."

"How come?" She looked over, of course Annabeth had been the one to ask. If Kaie had judged the daughter of Athena correctly, she had probably been doing all the research possible on the Gray Lady.

Kaie explained quickly about the weakening of the Mist. "What does that have to do with your abilities though?" The other Stoll, across the room from his brother and leaning against a daughter of Demeter, asked curiously.

"When I teleport, I pull my body and anything that is with me through the Mist. Less Mist, harder to teleport."

"Nico said you wanted us to help you?" Annabeth turned the conversation back on track, silencing the smaller conversations that had broken out.

"No. I wanted Nico to tell you about a threat to the camp, the mortal world, and Olympus. Because of ancient laws, I can not ask for demigods to fight with me."

"Then we call it a quest." Percy said simply.

"No!" Kaie's voice came out harsher than she meant as she blocked the idea before it could take root in their minds. The demigods around her backed away slightly at the anger that leaked into her voice. A quest would block the gods' involvement and as much as she hated to admit it, she needed the gods for this.

"The morning after tomorrow, transportation will be leaving for The Apache National Forest. Any demigod who thought there was a threat to their personal well being there could go and fight. Dionysus and Chiron are so preoccupied, a few missing campers could easily slip through the cracks for a few days." Kaie explained quickly.

Many of the campers nodded, understanding the blatant use of loopholes in the ancient laws.

"This isn't something numbers will help with. The majority of the camp should remain here but the oldest..." Kaie trailed off, letting the demigods think for themselves. She walked a dangerous thin line here. If she fell to either side, she would loose help that she needed to succeed.

"Why don't we adjourn for now and reconvene tomorrow morning before breakfast." Percy's voice cut through the small conversations that had broke out once again. Almost on his authority alone, demigods began to leave the room, returning to their cabins quietly.

Clarisse stopped on her way to the door. "Nico said you were getting other help." Kaie nodded and looked at the bottle in her hands. She shouldn't be getting drunk but at the same time staying sober wasn't appealing at any level.

"Artemis' Hunters are meeting me there and there maybe a few others..." She didn't want to go into specifics now.

Clarisse nodded, accepting the generalization, and moved on. Within minutes Kaie was alone in the room with Nico, Percy, and Annabeth.

"Did you manage to get any of them?" Nico walked over to her and took the bottle away. "Yeah." Kaie realized how quiet her voice had gotten with the others gone.

"Who?" Annabeth eyed Kaie as a threat as she spoke.

"You'll see tomorrow." Kaie walked out of the room and headed up the stairs to one of the guest bedrooms. Careful to avoid hitting Percy once again.

Nico had tried to catch her hand as she left the room but she had ignored it. Guilt gnawed at her stomach but she was too drained to think.

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Percy had left the Big House almost immediately after Kaie left the room. He hadn't slept in almost eight hours and with the curse of Achilles' that was pushing it.

Annabeth and Nico stood on porch of the Big House. Out of no where, Annabeth hit Nico on the arm the notebook that she almost always had on her.

"Ow!" Nico rubbed the area, she had hit one of the bruises from the past day. He had been lost in thought over why Kaie was distant again and why she had been so careful around Percy. "What was that for?"He glared menacingly at his older cousin but it failed to inspire fear as Annabeth had gone back to staring out at the camp which was spread out before them.

"I'm not going to get involved with your personal life but be careful around her."

Nico got the feeling Annabeth knew something she wasn't telling him. "Did you find anything out about her past?" Nico's curiosity won out over his respect for Kaie's privacy.

"I think so. Did you know Typhon wasn't always under Mount St. Helens?" Nico was confused by the change in topic but focused as Annabeth continued,"A while ago, the gods thought it would be safer for him to be trapped farther away from their seat of power."

"Where?" Nico was curious but didn't understand where Annabeth was going with this.

"For a long time he was trapped under an small island near Indonesia." She told him distantly.

Annabeth looked over at her younger cousin. She didn't want to tell him directly what she had pieced together because it was all theoretical but after seeing the way he had looked at the Gray Lady earlier, she knew she would feel better if he knew.

"Let's just say she and Percy have a few past experiences in common." Annabeth walked down the steps and headed for Athena's cabin. Leaving Nico alone with the knowledge.

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**Please Review! I know alot of people wanted to see more Nico&Kaie but I couldn't make it work in this chapter. I promise there will be more soon though. Unfortunately, I have like five different doctor's appointments this week because of my recent surgery so it might take me longer to update the next chapter. Sorry!**


	21. Chapter 21

**Sorry I haven't updated in forever. I've been able to focus on everything but this story which makes writing it difficult. I'm already starting to have the same problem with the next chapter because it is the last one before the action starts. All reviews are helpful so PLEASE REVIEW!**

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><p>Nico went to the Big House early the next morning, hoping to catch Kaie before the others showed up. Luckily, she sat on one of the porch swings staring out over the camp, seemingly lost in thought. She wore a dark blue tank top and black shorts. Her bare feet tapped against the wooden planks of the deck. Nico sat down beside her, the swing creaking and the shift in weight. "You feeling better than yesterday?" Nico asked quietly, leaning back against the swing.<p>

Kaie moved a leg up so her chin was resting on her knee, continuing to stare out at the camp. Nico was unsure of what to say in the silence but his thoughts were interrupted by Kaie turning suddenly to look over at him. With a start, he saw that her eyes were a much paler gray than they had ever been.

"This isn't going to be normal. You get that right?"

"Huh?" Nico had no idea what she meant.

Kaie gestured with a hand to both of them. "Us. It's not going to be a normal relationship."

Nico grinned crookedly and gestured at the camp that was just beginning to come to life. "I'm used to abnormal." Kaie's answering smile was the only response Nico needed as she leaned over and kissed him quickly before pulling away. "Good, 'cause I need to borrow your hellhound." A grin spreading across her face to match his.

"She's as much Percy's as she is mine." Nico protested for a moment then realized she was right. He did spend more time overall with Mrs. O'Leary in recent years. Percy had less and less time recently.

"Why do you need her?" He asked after a moment, his curiosity rising up once again.

Kaie grinned again then stood, stretching. "Transportation." She shifted her attention to the cabin leaders who had begun to walk towards the Big House, leaving Nico alone on the swing.

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Kaie looked around at the cabin counselors who were assembled once again in the rec room. Everyone was waiting on her, not knowing she was also waiting. Artemis had Iris Messaged her late last night to tell her the Hunters would be here in the morning. Sure enough, a few minutes later Thalia walked into the room. Many of the demigods clustered around her, asking questions but she simply looked over at Kaie and nodded.

She pushed Nico away from where he leaned against the pool table with a hand. "Ow." He fake complained, the humor in his voice earning him looks from several of the other demigods.

Shaking her head in amusement, Kaie pulled a roll of paper from where she had left it from the door before spreading it on the pool table. The demigods clustered around the table, eyes assessing the large map. "Thalia is here because the Hunters were informed of a wealth of hunting targets in the same area as the deathgate. For the safety of everyone possibly involved she is here so her Hunters do not hurt Campers should they be in the same area within the next day or so. Theoretically speaking of course."

She turned and looked at Clarisse who nodded and stood to speak. "Last night one of the patrols found a young drakon walking the edge of the camp boundaries." Everyone listened silently, many had thought they had heard a commotion last night but hadn't been sure. Clarisse continued, "We did everything possible, including decapitation, and it just kept coming at us and the boundary. Mr. D showed up out of no where while we were fighting it and incinerated it in purple fire which was the last we saw of it." Looks of shock were on the faces of many of the demigods. Monsters they could handle, they spent their summers training for them but unkillable ones...

"That is what you would be facing should you be in Apache National Forest tomorrow. If you can't handle it, don't be there." Kaie told the group bluntly. By keeping every word she spoke theoretical, she stayed safely on that thin line. She had been up for hours during the night and into the early morning reviewing maps of the area and every resource possible for information on deathgates.

With a finger, she pointed to the location of the deathgate on the large map. "Tomorrow I need to be here in order to close the deathgate. Only closing it will allow the creatures to actually die. Even the one Mr. D incinerated is alive again, it was simply damaged to the point that it had to return to the gate."

She traced a circle around the deathgate's location. That is the approximate circumference of where the monsters are. They completely fill the area." She looked up at the demigods that circled the table, looking down at the map. A wide range of emotions filled their gazes. Fear, curiosity, excitement. Once again she found herself wondering if she was doing the right thing by bringing them into this fight. Steeling her resolve, she continued.

"The gate itself is in a valley, which is good for us. Long range fighters like Apollo Cabin and Hunters should be split between these two hillsides. Aim for the monsters closest to the gate. Hand to Hand fighters which is about everyone else will be patrolling around the edge of the area to make sure no monsters get away. If they did they would head straight for populated areas and start killing."

"Wait a minute." Clarisse interrupted. "If you have all of us on long range attack and clean up duty, who in Hades is going to actually be attacking?" Frustration and confusion were both apparent in her voice.

Kaie knew that any daughter of Ares would want to be on the front line but it would be too dangerous for any demigod. "I am." Kaie hesitated as several demigods began speaking at once, arguing pointlessly.

"And the Gods." They fell silent immediately.

"Our parents?" The Head Councilor for the Demeter Cabin spoke after several minutes of silence that gave Kaie more time to think.

"Some." Kaie told them shortly before continuing. "I have been able to apply the ancient laws...creatively to this matter." Nico snorted loudly, earning him a glare from Kaie. He simply grinned in return.

Kaie rolled her eyes before explaining. "It is the affair of immortals rather than connected specifically to demigods or a quest. The elder gods cannot fight without physical proof but the others can."

"You are not a better fighter than Percy or Clarisse but you will be in the middle of it." Annabeth pointed out.

"True but I have to be there to close the gate. Also, you have never seen my true abilities demigod." Distaste seeped into Kaie's voice as she forced the demigods around her to remember that she was not one of them.

Annabeth stood silent for a moment, arms crossed at her chest, glaring at Kaie before speaking again. "You know how to close the gate?"

"Yes." Kaie's voice was heavy with honesty. "It's complicated and involves Mist manipulation at a level higher than anyone else can do."

"Even the Gods?" Annabeth pushed the issue wanting absolute certainty.

Kaie nodded."Even the Gods."

Kaie looked back at the map then around at the demigods,who taking all the information in. "Stay in teams of two no matter what. Watch each others backs. If you plan to be there, transportation leaves at six tomorrow morning."

The demigods seemed to know a dismissal when they heard one and they left the room in small groups. Kaie left the map on the table and walked out to the back porch, watching the movement of the demigods going about their lives at camp.

"You sure you can do this?" Annabeth stood behind Kaie in the doorway with Percy a few feet behind her. Kaie nodded and turned away again. She could hear their footsteps moving away then another set coming towards them.

"You okay?" Nico's voice was strong as he came up next to her.

"Yeah. I need to do nothing for now and save my strength for tomorrow." She turned into his strong body, smiling slightly when his strong arms encircled her waist. She rested her head against his chest for a moment before looking up at him. "Will you do something for me?"

"Name it."

"Mrs. O'Leary will be at your father's palace. He has enhanced her ability to shadow travel is strong enough to carry a large number of people."

"You want me to go get a dog?" Nico asked with disbelief.

Kaie grinned cheekily and corrected him. "Hellhound." She kissed him for a moment. "And yes, please."

Nico grumbled and rolled his eyes. "Fine. Now?"

"The sooner the better so she can rest here." He nodded and disappeared into the darkness.

Kaie stood alone for a moment before turning back to the railing. It would so easy to stand here, watching the kids run about below. For a moment she felt relaxed but this was quickly swept away by reality rearing it's head.

Without thinking, Kaie reached for the bottle of gin she had left out on the porch earlier in the morning. Half empty but good enough. She took a swallow before turning back to the picturesque view. Naiads, Nymphs, Satyrs, and demigods all part of a vibrant picture.

"Enough to make you sick isn't it?" Kaie turned to look at Dionysus as appeared out of the air next to her.

He raised an eyebrow at the bottle in her hand. "You do realize that surviving tomorrow only means your liver will give out twenty years from now because of the sheer amount of alcohol you've drank over the last few days."

Kaie couldn't stop herself from laughing. "This from the God of Wine?" Dionysus merely shrugged.

Kaie turned back and watched the scene for a few more minutes before it burst out. "Why do you do it?"

"What?" Dionysus didn't bother to turn away from the view.

"This." She gestured to the camp with a hand. "Why do you act so disinterested in them. Why do you purposefully get their names wrong."

This time he did turn to look at her. Purple embers glowing in his eyes. "I have seen too many demigods come over that hill and die. My own and others. My disinterest makes them push to prove themselves. Not to me or Olympus but to themselves."

Kaie let out a rueful laugh and finished off the gin. "I know you care but not enough to still be here. Why stay?" Dionysus raised an eyebrow. Kaie rolled her eyes. "Don't give me that. I know Zeus actually negated your sentence after the last war instead of that fifty year reduced sentence crap you told everyone else. You're here at the camp because you want to be."

Surprise flashed across the god's face then he laughed. "My replacement isn't ready."

"Who is it?" Dionysus raised his eyebrow again. "You know. Quit digging for absolute proof." Kaie sighed and relinquished the issue, her suspicions confirmed.

She began to go back into the Big House to review the armor she had scrounged from the armory before the sun was up that morning but was stopped by the god's voice. "How did you know? Only Chiron and Zeus knew till now."

Kaie grinned over her shoulder before holding up the empty bottle in her hand. The clear glass was free of dust. "Chiron doesn't drink gin." Dionysus' quite laughter followed her into the rec room.

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**Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. Any and all reviews are helpful so please keep it up.**


	22. Chapter 22

**Im sorry that I haven't updated in a while but life has been hectic and I have once again been struggling with the story. Plot bunnies for other stories keep popping into my head, making it almost impossible to write this story. You can thank reader, Agana of the night, for this chapter because it was her favoriting this story that got my butt in gear to finish this chapter. That being said, reviews will definitely make me update sooner. Motivation is always helpful. Without further ado, the story!**

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><p>Nico appeared in the courtyard of his father's palace. His eyes immediately adjusting to dimmer light.<p>

Mrs. O'Leary was off to the side, rolling in the dirt while having her stomach scratched. The ground shook as she rolled back and forth happily.

Nico was surprised to see it was his father who was petting the massive hellhound.

"Father."

He approached slowly, knowing from experience not to startle god. He knew from the same experience that it was more possible than you would think.

Hades glanced over his shoulder for a moment. "Nico. How are you?"

Nico noticed now that Hades was dressed in a simple black button up shirt and black slacks. Much more casual than normal.

"Tired but fine." Nico told his father with a small smile.

"Good." Hades turned away from the hellhound who flopped onto her stomach. A look almost like a pout on her face. "Are you planning to be in there tomorrow?"

Nico nodded once.

Emotion passed over Hades face but was gone too quickly for Nico to tell what it was. "Mrs. O'Leary will be able to take several dozen now. One way only but once this mess is cleaned up getting back to camp will not be a problem for any of you." Without another word, he clapped Nico on the shoulder with a hand and walked back into the darkness of his palace.

Nico stood for a moment in silence until Mrs. O'Leary hit his side with her hand, demanding to be petted. He was knocked onto his butt by the force of the hit. Brushing dirt off his legs as he stood, he heard a soft laugh from the other side of the courtyard.

Turning, he saw Lady Persephone walking towards him. While they were not close by any means, they had come to an understanding in the last few years. She no longer completely hated him and he didn't go out of his way to annoy her.

"Nico." The Queen of Hades stopped a few feet away from him. "Be careful."

Nico recoiled with surprise. Persephone had never given the appearance of caring. She let out another soft laugh, the sound was a streak of light in the dark underworld. "You are surprised at my request."

Nico nodded with a wry smile. "Your father cares about you. Loosing you now would hurt him horribly. He needs you."

Nico nodded, not trusting his face not to give away his thoughts. "Mrs. O'Leary." The hellhound bounded over, she had been sniffing one of the skeletal guards nearby. "Let's go girl." Nico tightened a hand around her massive collar and shadow traveled back to camp.

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><p>Kaie pulled herself out bed at an ungodly early hour. She dressed slowly, half of her watched the sun rise through her window while the other half focused on the task at hand, reviewing battle plans and contingency plans for if something went wrong.<p>

The armor she had pulled together wasn't ideal for this battle but it would be enough. A traditional Greek style metal breast plate with leather straps protected her upper body while a pair of leather leggings reinforced with strips of bronze on the sides protected her lower half. Metal greaves went over the leggings while a pair of matching vambraces went on her lower arms.

Just as she was strapping her knives in place, a knock echoed through the room. The sound grounded Kaie, reminding her of what she needed to do and why. Reminding her of her duty. "It's open."

She turned to the mirror, working her hair into a tight braid that swung easily. She could see Nico walk over her shoulder. Like her, he was already in armor. Light consuming black armor that gave him a deadly prescience. After a moment she realized she was staring, not that she didn't have a good reason to, but she had to focus.

She forced herself to look away, and sat on the edge of her bed, trying to focus solely on pulling on her combat boots. She failed but managed to only looked up once In that moment she caught Nico's cocky grin that told her he knew exactly what she was thinking.

He leaned against the wall by the door, arms crossed, watching her. "So what is your problem with Percy?"

Kaie froze, unresponsive. Silence descended on the room for a heartbeat before Kaie made the required excuse, "I don't have one," that neither one of them believed.

With a halfhearted sigh, Kaie realized Nico would pull it out of her sooner or later. Might as well get it over with. "When I was reborn this time, Gaia created certain restrains to keep the Gray Lady in check." She looked up at Nico who simply nodded for her to continue. "In addition to the two metal implants she decided their needed to be a power capable of..." She hesitated trying to find the right words. "She decided there needed to be someone who could stop me if necessary."

"And that person is Percy?" Disbelief was apparent in Nico's voice.

Kaie's nerves bubbled up and she almost laughed. Demigods were surrounded by myth, hell they were part of it, yet they always refused to accept strange things. "Not Percy specifically. The River Styx, a core element of death to balance out my habit of not staying dead long term."

She looked up again to gauge Nico's reaction. Something akin to pity flashed across his face before he nodded for her to continue. "Percy has always been abnormally susceptible to Mist for a demigod. That was his connection to the Styx even before he bathed in it. If Percy was every to turn into a homicidal maniac it would be my responsibly to stop him. It's his duty to do the same if I were to ignore my job."

Nico seemed to contemplate this for a moment before responding. "He doesn't know that though."

"No, but the gods do. They would make sure it would happen."

"Honestly, you're a good fighter. I'm not sure Percy could take you out now, much less if you were at full power."

"True. That's why Gaia gave Percy another gift. Any weapon that is wielded by someone bearing Achilles' curse that draws my blood is enough to kill me. It could be Riptide or a needle. Same result." Kaie looked down at her hands which had run out of things to do. She needed a distraction to stop the memories from coming to the surface. She stood quickly, and walked past Nico and out of the room. It was only about half an hour until the demigods should be assembling. She could be early.

"Kaie." Nico's hand caught her upper arm, spinning her around to face him in one move. "Don't forget you're not alone here."

Kaie gave him a half smile. "I know." They stood in the hallway kissing until a shout broke the calm.

"Kaie, Nico, why in Hades is my hellhound glowing?"

Nico pulled away, wearing the same cocky grin from earlier. "Not your hellhound Kelphead! Last time I checked I'm the one paying to feed the beast!" He shouted out the door before knitting his fingers with Kaie's and pulling her towards the porch.

Walking out onto the porch, Kaie was surprised to see Rachel there with Percy and Annabeth.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" The Oracle asked Kaie as she gestured to the other side of the porch.

Moving away from the others, Kaie studied the other girl. She seemed nervous which confused Kaie who knew the Oracle couldn't have had a vision about the fight. Kaie's involvement blocked that possibility.

Rachel stopped and looked down at her hands before meeting Kaie's gaze. "I can't see what's going to happen and that scares me. This camp was torn apart during the last war and it is still healing. Don't put the demigods in more risk than is necessary."

"I'm not going to."

Something in Rachel's gaze changed and she narrowed her eyes. "You know what is going to happen."

"No I don't"

"You do. I can tell!" Her voice had dropped to an angry whisper. The three demigods on the other side of the porch were less than subtle about their attempts to listen in.

"I don't know but I can guess and unfortunately my guesses are usually right. You need to trust me when I say that I am doing everything I can to protect them and the mortal world."

Rachel nodded once and turned away from Kaie who watched as the Oracle talked to her friends quietly before leaving the porch and walking back towards her cave. Kaie knew how hard it was for her to lack her usual foreknowledge, but at the same time Kaie also knew how easily too much foreknowledge could destroy a person

Kaie leaned against the rail of the porch and watched as demigods began trickling towards the Big House it the early morning quiet.

By the appointed time, twenty five hunters, sixteen children of Ares, eleven children of Hermes, nine children of Athena, and about twenty other demigods stood clustered around the base of the porch.

The number shocked Kaie, she had expected no more than about a dozen and the show of support made her feel less alone for the first time in more than a lifetime.

On Percy's orders, the group assembled around Mrs. O'Leary. Each demigod grabbing hold of one another to form a tight cluster. Nico was the final link in the chain, his fingers knitting together with Kaie's as her other hand grabbed a hold of of the hellhound's massive collar.

The camp dissolved in a swirl of pale collar and reformed on the other side of the country.

" 'Bout time you got here." A deep voice hiding barely restrained excitement echoed for a moment.

Looking to her left, Kaie saw a sight that would scare any sane being. Five gods in full armor, literally glowing with immortal power, with an odd hundred shining bronze automatons at their back.

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**So yeah, almost fight time! Please Review because every detail of your opinions will help me finish this story and I want to make sure you guys like the result as much as I do.**


	23. Chapter 23

**Sorry this has taken so long but here it is. Please review and let me know what you think of this conclusion.**

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><p>Chaos reigned. The Gods moved too quickly to be visible as anything but colored light while a hail of arrows fell with pinpoint accuracy from the bluffs on either side of the battle ground.<p>

Hephaestus' automatons had been pulled back within minutes of the first assault. They were overwhelmed too quickly by the monsters and over half their number had been torn to pieces.

The demigods were pushed even farther back than the automatons, those who were unskilled with bows had been given the safest job of guarding the edge of the battle.

The only demigods in the midst of it were Percy, Clarisse, and Nico. Percy was almost as effective as any of the gods, cutting down any creature near him but Kaie could tell he was beginning to tire. His sword strokes were slowing and he had begun to fall back away from the center of the battle where Kaie and the Gods were still pushing towards the death gate.

Clarisse stood alone, her body cloaked in a thin layer of crimson flames that matched the ruby engagement ring on her left hand. Ares had renewed his blessing before the battle and the demigod now vaporized creatures with her gaze as she swung a vicious double edged axe. Her eyes, glowing with an inferno at the beginning were not dim, holding only embers. A wide swath of bodies lay around her but the creatures had learned from their previous attempts after they were reborn and had begun to attack from beyond the range of her axe and gaze.

Nico was fighting near Percy, surrounded by a hoard of skeletal warriors. A thin sheen of sweat coated his pale skin and his movements had become jerky. Like the other two demigods, his energy was fading.

Returning her attention to the chaos around her, Kaie slid under the sword of a dracanae and stabbed upward with one blade, sliding it between the ribs. The monster dissolved to dust which blew back towards the deathgate where it reformed in the blink of an eye.

A terrified part of Kaie saw the monsters lined up dozens deep between her and the deathgate as funny. It reminded her of the masses of people waiting in line for a carnival ride. Only here, they were waiting to kill her.

She knew they were loosing. There was no way around it but one. The easiest and the hardest. "Pull the demigods away, onto the bluffs." Kaie charmed the wind around her to carry the words to the gods around her as she cut the legs from under a manticore, jumping out of the way of it's tail as it staggered and fell.

Blooms of light flashed across the battle ground and Kaie knew without looking that the demigods had all been moved following her order.

In a single move, Kaie reversed one of her knives and sunk the blade into her arm where the metal band lay under the skin. Forcing down the scream of pain that clawed at her throat when mist metal met mist metal Kaie watched as a tiny drop of silver welled from the wound, hovered against the edge of the blade and rolled down her arm to drop to the soil below.

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><p>Nico felt hands grab him for a moment as the pull of godly teleportation tugged at him. In the same moment he found himself standing on one of the bluffs. Percy wavered next to him before his knees buckled. Travis and Conner caught him before his head could hit the ground.<p>

Below him Nico saw Kaie standing alone as a wall of creatures rushed towards her, unburdened by attacks of the gods. Panic welled up he started to shadow travel despite his exhaustion only to be stopped when a hand clamped down on his shoulder.

"Don't. The Gray Lady knows what she is doing." Athena's voice was hard as she moved to stand next to him. Demigods crowded around her, watching.

Just as the monsters reached Kaie, Nico saw her reverse one of her knives and sink it into her arm. A white glow spread from the knife and an arc of gleaming silver spread outward in front of Kaie.

The arc hovered in the air for a heartbeat, reflecting sunlight in the shimmering heat, before it flew forward faster than any mortal or demigod eye could follow. At it's touch, every monster blasted to dust and in less than a minute Kaie stood alone in the field. She began to fall but stopped herself half way and stood wavering.

Once again Nico began to shadow travel down to help Kaie regardless of whether he had enough strength to safely do it only for Athena's hand to stop him.

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><p>"She isn't done." The goddess told him, resignation passing over her features as she spoke.<p>

Pulling herself upright, Kaie walked forward, the dust of the dead floated around her feet as she moved. Tiny tornadoes sprung up as it struggled to reform. With a thought Kaie blocked the power of the deathgate and the dust stilled.

Letting every block on her power fall, every ounce of restraint dissipate, every piece of humanity she still clung to free, Kaie disappeared and the Gray Lady returned to the mortal planes whole for the first time in millenia.

She knew what was necessary. Only the blood of an immortal could open a deathgate and only the same could close one. Letting one knife fall to the ground, she came to a halt in front of the pulsing mouth of the gate. Tendrils of smoke floated from it, stroking her bare arms as time seemed to slow.

She turned to look up at the cliffs. The young Ghost King stood next to the Goddess of Wisdom, only beginning to grasp her actions.

The Gray Lady felt her lips move of their own accord and a name unrecognized since her first time to walk through the mortal world was caught by the wind to be taken to him when it was all over.

Her second blade found its way to her throat, the cool metal pressed into skin slicing easily, letting the silver of her blood free from it's earthly shell. Voices echoed as darkness reached from the gate, pulling at her power before claiming it. Everything she ever was or would ever be.

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><p>Nico heard the cry before he realized it was his own. The shadow travel took no conscious thought. He simply appeared next to the deathgate as the blade slid through Kaie's throat. His hand reached out for her wrist as she fell forward, closing on nothing but empty air as darkness engulfed her body.<p>

The world froze for a moment as Nico watched jagged lines of light slice through the darkness of the gate before they broke through the edge and into the open air. Warmth radiated from them as Nico was knocked from his feet and sent flying backwards.

Nico landed with a bone jarring thud and staggered up right, eyes finding the site where the deathgate had stood only moments before.

In it's place a circle of women stood bathed in a silver light that emanated outward from the center of their circle. They varied in height, size, hair color, and in every other way possible. Their only common characteristic was the steel gray eyes that were lifted upwards, watching something in the clear air above.

"O thánatos tou Theoú. Bás An Dé. Kami no shi. Mungu wa kifo. Death." The whisper eminated from each set of lips. Their gazes lowered to look upon the center of their circle. "Life." The glow spread outward and everything disappeared in a haze as a single word fell upon Nico's ears.

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><p><strong>...<br>**

**So? What do you think? Please review and let me know.**

**There is one chapter left to wrap up everything and I hope to post it in the next couple of days. The more reviews I get, the quicker it gets posted if that is any incentive.**


	24. Chapter 24

**For those who were curious, these last chapters are the original ending with only one small adition. Thank you to everyone who gave me their thoughts on that matter.**

Please Review!

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><p>Nico opened his eyes slowly, the glowing beams of the Apollo cabin came into focus above his head. Every inch of his body ached. He had been in dozens of fights over the years, so many he had lost count but this was different. The physical pain was bad but nothing compared to the ache he knew he could do nothing about.<p>

She was gone. Well and truly gone. He should have seen her plan before the battle. It had been obvious. Only immortal death could close the wrongness that had been the deathgate. Kaie would never have let anyone else die to end it. It had been her goal the entire time. It was why Gaia had rebirthed her. Why let one of your other descendents die when you could just cycle through your pawn another time.

Could Kaie even be reborn after sacrificing herself to the gate like that? Nico blinked at the ceiling, unable to block the wetness that spread across his eyes as the ache in his body deepened. It didn't matter either way. Even is she would be reborn one day, he would be long gone. As a child of Hades he understood this too well. He had lost her.

"You awake?" Nico turned his head towards the sound of Percy's voice. The older demigod sat in a chair tilted back against the closest wall, arms crossed over his chest. Nico immediately noticed the dark circles under his cousins eyes.

"How long was I out?"

"Four days. You almost died. Apollo is still surprised you didn't" Percy's voice was even as he watched Nico, waiting for some kind of reaction.

The son of Hades sat up slowly, the sheet he had lain under sliding down his exposed chest. His physical pain spiked as he swung his legs over the edge of the bed.

"Apollo said you needed bed rest." Percy offered a hand to Nico. Cut from the same cloth they both knew Nico wasn't going to lay around even when in pain.

A strange reflection caught Nico's eye and he crossed to the mirror on unsteady feet. Percy hesitated then followed. Coming to a stop, Nico ran his eyes over the scar that marred his chest. A large sunburst shape the size of his hand sat in the middle of his upper chest. The slightly raised skin pale against his darker skin.

"You were thrown back about a hundred yards by the force of the deathgate closing. Four broken ribs, a shattered vertebra, and internal bleeding, all healed courtesy of Apollo but he couldn't do anything about that mark which was somehow not caused by any of those injuries." Percy told him calmly.

Nico's gaze was drawn upward and he ran a hand over his head. There was barely any hair left, only the growth of the few days he had been unconscious. It was darker too, pitch black with no sign of the chestnut highlights his mother had passed on to him.

"The field was set on fire and it took us a minute to get to you. Apollo healed the burns but can't do anything about the hair. You could talk to Aphrodite though." Percy's voice lightened at the last part but his face remained dark as he waited for Nico's reaction.

"Damn." The word fell from Nico's lips as a whisper, reminding him of the last word he had heard before everything had disappeared.

"Yeah." Percy had stopped a few feet behind Nico and now stood with his hands in his pockets. "There's a good reason the God of Medicine was surprised you lived."

"We need to go up to Olympus as soon as you feel up too it." Nico's gaze met his cousin's in the mirror as Percy spoke.

"Why?" He was suddenly angry and the single word came out as a harsh growl. He was angrier than he had ever been since Bianca's death and all of it was directed at the Olympians. Yes, some had fought but why had the majority sat back on their thrones and watched as someone, their sibling in many ways, died to keep them safe? Why had their precious rules and boundaries been enough to protect them but not Kaie?

"They..." Percy stopped talking as he realized Nico wasn't ready to listen. Grabbing his cousin by the elbow he pulled Nico out of the Apollo cabin, keeping the weakened demigod upright each time he stumbled.

Nico watched the camp as he was pulled along. The sun was brighter, the air cleaner, the smell of the salty air coming from the Atlantic sharper but he noticed none of this. Instead he watched the eyes of the younger demigods as their gazes followed the older pair. He realized with regret that he knew few of them. He could tell who their parents were but he didn't know names, their backgrounds, or anything about them. They were as distant to him as any mortal he met walking through the world.

Percy stopped pulling Nico once they were on the beach, far from where anyone could overhear.

"Four hunters, two sons of Ares, a daughter of Iris, and a daughter of Hermes died too Nico. I know your hurting right now but this goes beyond just you and the Gray Lady."

Looking up from where his gaze had fallen on the distant horizon Nico looked at Percy and realized there was a degree of desperation in his cousin's tired eyes.

Turning back to the water, he realized he had a choice. He had been drifting through life for the last few years until he met Kaie. Before her his time had been spent between killing monsters and getting drunk. Spending time with Kaie had reminded him what it felt like to have purpose.

He had forgotten that feeling but looking out over the sparkling water he silently swore to not let that happen again. Yes, he had lost the woman he had begun to love and he felt like a piece of him had been ripped out that could never be replaced, but others had died too. He knew Kaie would have been mad he had placed the value of her life above others even for a short time.

Looking up at his older cousin he asked the question he should have asked years ago when the camp had expanded and Percy had begun to shoulder the burdens Chiron carried. "What do you need me to do?"

Percy sat down on the sand and Nico followed suit. The two men sat side by side watching the horizon as the sun sunk lower and lower before Percy finally replied. "I've been offered immortality again."

Nico was surprised by how unsurprised he was at the announcement. He nodded once and Percy continued. "Apparently Mr. D has been lying to us all since the Second Titan War. His was simply waiting for his replacement to be ready before he left."

"You?" Percy nodded at Nico's one word question.

"God of Tides and Director of Camp Halfblood." His words came slowly as if he was measuring them each for their worth.

"Why are you hesitating?" Nico was curious what had changed in the past years to make Percy seriously consider the offer in it's second incarnation.

"I'm not. They've offered Annabeth immortality too. Goddess of Architecture. She was the main reason I didn't accept last time."

Nico nodded, understanding. If he had been offered an eternity with Kaie he would have taken it. "I think its a good idea. I sure as hades trust you with the camp more than Dionysus. Why are we out here if you already plan to accept?"

"Its a good view?" Percy's answer came halfheartedly. He sighed at Nico's glare. "I didn't want to do it before telling you. Talia, Annabeth, and I would all be immortal and Grover's a full time Lord of the Wild. And with the Gray Lady..." He stopped and glanced over at Nico.

Nico understood what he was saying. He would be essentially alone, aging while those he was closest too stayed where they were.

"Don't worry." Nico put on a grin he couldn't quite back up on his face. He knew what Percy needed to hear even if it wasn't truly what he felt. "I'll still have Clarisse and the others. We can compare scars and tell wildly exaggerated stories in the old folks home together. Scare the crap out of the other old bats in the process." Percy let out a laugh and Nico could see the relief in his face.

"You feel up to going to Olympus now?" Percy changed the subject. "Zeus was pretty adamant about you getting up their as soon as you were conscious."

Nico nodded and stood, brushing the sand from his pants. "Sure."

Percy stood and copied Nico's actions with significantly more luck. "Good. I'd rather not be blasted by lightning before I gain immortality. Let me go get the others." He began walking back to the heart of the camp.

"Does this mean your fine with being blasted by lightning once you are immortal? If so I think Thalia should be informed of this development!"

Nico's sarcasm cause Percy to turn halfway. "Put a damn shirt on Death Breath!" His words reaching Nico just before Percy disappeared over the dunes.

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><p>...<p>

Nico stood in Olympus' main hall in a black t-shirt and a less sandy pair of dark jeans. He was barefoot because he had failed to find any shoes before Percy had shown up in his cabin to rush him along.

Clarisse, Chris, Connor, Travis, and Katie stood with Nico each sporting injuries from the battle. Nico was unsure why these demigods specifically had come but pushed the thought away, unconcerned. Of the group, Chris was the worse off from the battle, two gashes ran from the corner of his left eye to below his jaw where a harpy had clawed him. The other demigods had only minor injuries and had filled him in on what had happened during the battle on the drive in to New York City. Dionysus had been missing from camp since the battle ended so teleporting was out of the question and Nico was still to weak to shadow travel.

It was a strange feeling to stand there, watching as Percy and Annabeth accepted immortality in a ceremony much simpler than Nico would have assumed. A simple set of prayers to Gaia and drinking pure nectar was all it took for his friends to become the newest god and goddess. He assumed that if Gaia did not accept them they would have died excruciatingly but watching the pair move to sit with the other gods, hands held together Nico found himself feeling nothing but happiness for them. Ever since he had had his epiphany on the beach the ache in his chest had faded. It was still there but not to the crippling degree it had been.

"Nico de Angelo." Hearing Zeus speak his name brought Nico back to the present and he walked forward robotically till he stood alone in front of the gods.

"We have a problem. The deathgate has been closed but we still do not know who is responsible for it's creation." Realization rushed over Nico as he realized the truth in Zeus' words. Through everything that had happened in the past few weeks Kaie had never said who she thought was responsible. Yet another thing she had kept from him. Anger rose up for a moment before Nico brushed it away, focusing on Zeus instead.

"Did the Gray Lady ever say anything to you on the matter?" The King of the Gods' voice was cold but lacked the anger it usually had. Nico knew that without Kaie there was a strong chance they could not find the person responsible and another gate could theoretically be opened.

"Nothing." Nico kept his face straight as emotions rushed through him as he spoke.

Zeus opened his mouth to reply but was stopped by Athena interrupting. "I saw the Gray Lady speak as she died but heard nothing. You were closest to her both physically and emotionally. Did you hear anything?"

Nico felt the ghost of a small breeze blow past his body and the whisper in his ear. "Yes." The gods began murmuring among themselves for a moment as Athena regarded him calmly before Zeus' loud command restored silence. "What was it?" the Sky God prodded.

"Kallistrate. The beautiful army before all others." The words came from the back of the hall rather than Nico's open mouth. Almost as one the gods and demigods turned to look at the speaker.

A young woman who looked to be in her mid-twenties walked towards them. Straight, raven black hair hung down to the small of her back, swaying slightly as she moved. She wore a silvery top that shimmered in the lights of the hall with black pants and soft black leather boots that were soundless on the marble floors. Pitch black eyes identical to his own caught Nico's gaze as the woman came level with where he stood.

"Anastasius?" Nico heard his father's shocked voice as it echoed in the silent hall.

The woman smiled softly as she came to a stop a few feet to the right and inclined her head slightly to the gods. "Father, it has been too long."

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><p><strong>...<strong>

**So yeah, that happened. I realize some of this seems random but I promise it will all make sense in the end.**

**Please review and let me know what you think!**


	25. Chapter 25

**I am so so sorry this chapter has taken so long. I injured my right arm a few weeks ago and typing has been almost impossible unfortunately. It doesn't matter now, here is the new (and final!) chapter! **

**As for the many confused people after the last chapter. Yes, I'm evil but hopefully everything makes sense after this.**

**Please Review!  
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><p>The hall was silent for a moment as the assembled group took in the woman's words.<p>

Connor Stoll was the first to recover. "I think I speak for all the demigods when I say What. In. Hades?"

His remark was ignored by the gods as Hades stood and walked towards the woman. "Your dead Anastasius." His voice was calm though Nico could see emotions churning in his gaze.

"You of all people should be able to see that I'm not Daddy dearest." The woman turned to look at Nico. "This must be my little brother. What's your name?"

"Nico?" The word came out as a question as Nico tried to recover from shock and understand what was going on.

"Nice to meet you Nico. I'm Anastasius but its a mouthful so I just go by Anna these days." Anna waved a hand and a small chair appeared facing the gods. She sat gracefully and crossed her legs before looking expectantly at the gods with a smirk on her face.

"The First Titan War." Hades had recovered enough to speak again.

"Yes, horrible time really."

"You died in the final battle along with the other first children."

Anna laughed softly. "No. We didn't."

The gods dissolved into chaos, each trying to yell over each other. Her words obviously meant something to them that the demigods didn't understand. This continued for several minutes until Anna looked over at Nico and winked, leaving him more confused than ever. None of the demigods understood anything that was happening or how it had anything to do with recent events.

Between one breath and the next the hall became silent. The gods' mouths continued to move but no sound was heard.

"You are all being incredibly rude. There are children here and they are quite confused. Do you mind if I explain?" Zeus' face went red as he glared at Anna. He tried speaking for a moment before finally settling for simply nodding angrily.

"Good." Anna turned around in her chair to look at the demigods who all regarded her warily, untrusting of the unknown after so many years facing off with monsters.

"Now then, As I said, I'm Anastasius. First daughter of Hades." Nico started to speak but stopped when Anna waved a hand at him dismissively. Shrugging mentally Nico gave up. He was tired, depressed, and frustrated with Olympus. He found that he simply didn't care enough to interject.

Throwing a grin at him as if she knew his train of thought Anna continued. "This means I was the first demigod child of Hades. I was born during the First Titan War. Unlike the war you experienced, ours lasted years. Long enough for me to be born, grow up, and begin fighting for dear old dad's cause. I wasn't the only one. There were three others. Diokles, Chrysanthos, and Sappheiros."

At her words Zeus, Posiedon, and Demeter all looked up intently. Feeling their gaze, Anna turned to look back at the gods. Posiedon was the first to manage to speak. "Are they...like you...alive?"

Sadness engulfed Anna's features and she hesitated before answering. "Not anymore. They moved on."

"But what happened?" Hades prodded Anna to continue her story.

"Hush Dad." Anna turned back to the demigods.

"We four were the first demigods. Born of Zeus, Demeter, Posiedon, and Hades. We fought in the war and once the final battle ended we realized we had never lived without being surrounded by the chaos. We had no idea who we were without the constant threat of death. One day soon after a woman appeared to us and asked if we would help her. She offered us her own brand of immortality. In exchange we swore to aid her in protecting the earth from any threat that arose. We disappeared after that and you..." She broke off and swung around to look at the gods again. The darkness in her eyes spread till black coated her eyes from corner to corner as rage contorted her face. Power leaked from her in waves just like it had from Kaie thought it differed slightly.

"You all assumed we had died in the final battle. You were all so busy cleaning up that mess that you didn't think to even look." Her voice had dropped to an angry snarl that Nico recognized as identical to his own.

The four gods mentioned all looked ashamed, none managed to meet her angry gaze while the other gods stared, riveted just like the demigods.

"Why are you here now?" Hera's regal voice echoed in the shocked hall as she addressed Anna, struggling to regain control of the situation.

Every sign of anger disappeared from her face and all sense of the power she controlled vanished. Anna's face was once again lit by a knowing smile. "Little old me? I had a visitor yesterday who asked me to come up and stall you all."

"Stall us?" Hera asked suspiciously.

"Of course. You were all ready to finish. Sending these demigods back to their camp and dispersing back to your individual duties. There are matters that still need to be discussed."

"Who was it?" Zeus appeared to have finally recovered from his shock.

Anna rolled her eyes rather than respond and held a fist out, face up in front. Her fingers flew open, exposing her palm where Nico could see an ornate tattoo. A shimmering form appeared in the air over the tattoo, revolving slowly. It was a silver tree, bare of leaves, made of mist.

"Gaia." The word fell from the lips of the Olympians.

"Who else? She commands Kallistrate, Kallistrate commands me, and here I am." Anna gave the gods a crooked grin.

"What matters are so important that we must discuss them now? The fiasco with the deathgate has been concluded." Athena questioned Anna, Nico could see her struggling to understand. A rare sight for anyone to see.

Anger rose up at the idea that everything that had happened, everything Kaie had done, was simply a fiasco. He couldn't find the words to describe it but it was so much more but completely different at the same time.

He was awoken from his turmoil by a familiar voice.

"Who ever said it was matters that the gods needed to discuss?" Kaie's voice filled the hall, drawing every eye to the doors she walked through. She still wore the armor from the battle though it was now spotless. Her skin and hair were both clean once again. A silver line was the only sign of damage, running across her throat where the skin had been sliced.

"I'm confused again." Connor Stoll's whisper reached Nico's ears as he watched Kaie and Anna.

"Kallistrate." Anna turned angrily.

"Anastasuis." Kaie's voice was calm as she stopped in front of Anna, ignoring all else, even Nico, as she ran an appraising gaze over the slightly shorter woman. Nico tried and failed to ignore the emotions this brought forth.

The entire hall was silent as the assembly waited for one of the pair to speak. "You got shorter." Kaie's voice was cold.

"No, you got taller." Silence fell again as they continued to watch each other. It reminded Nico of two feral cats circling each other, each waiting for the other to attack.

The silence was finally broken as Kaie laughed. Anna hesitated for a brief moment, biting her lip as she struggled to maintain her glare before she too succumbed to some humor that the rest of the hall didn't follow.

After several minutes of laughter, the pair hugged warmly.

"You really should have come and got me." Anna scolded Kaie though anyone could see the reprimand was halfhearted.

Kaie simply shrugged. "I would have but as soon as I realized what was going on I was running on a tight schedule. You were in the Amazon. How was I supposed to contact you? Really, what was I supposed to do?" "Plus..." Kaie glanced over at Nico, acknowledging his existence in the room for the first time since entering, and smiled before winking. "You have the loveliest siblings."

Anna let out a scream and covered her ears. "Lalalala not listening!"

Athena took the moment after Anna's reaction to redirect the conversation."What do you mean the immediate matters are not for the gods to discuss?"

Kaie glanced over at the Goddess of Wisdom as if seeing the gods for the first time. "Exactly that." She snapped her fingers once and a flash of light bloomed from each gods' throne. When the light disappeared, each throne was empty, leaving the demigods the only ones in the hall.

"Really?" Anna's exasperated voice gave the demigods time to hid their shock and confusion. "Where did you send them?"

"Antarctica is lovely this time of year." Kaie said offhand as she turned to the demigods and waved a hand. A plush armchair appeared behind each and they sat warily after exchanging glances.

Nico hesitated longer than the others. He had no idea how to react. How much of this person before him was the Kaie he had grown to know, admire, and maybe even love?

He was brought out of his thoughts again when he realized Kaie had moved to stand in front of him. "Who are you?" He couldn't even explain why he asked that question but Kaie seemed to understand.

" Me. Kallistrate, The Gray Lady. Not more seperation. No more broken identities. I am what I always should have been. I'm sorry I didn't warn you about what I was going to do. Things spiraled out of control. Forgive me?"

Nico found himself nodding even as the words registered. Her lips touched his softly, questioning for a moment before he leaned in and snaked his arms around her waist. They both ignored the none to subtle coughs from the demigods as they let this kiss deepen.

After another minute, Kaie was forcibly pulled away from him by Anna holding her braid. Kaie grinned, real happiness on her face for a moment before she turned on Anna again."Evil bitch."

Anna ignored Kaie's words and gestured grandly to the other demigods who were in various stages of shock, embarrassment, and annoyance. "Explain to the kids before the gods realize how to get back into their own throne room O Manipulative Bitch."

Kaie rolled her eyes and sat in a chair she created for herself and leaned forward. Her face completely serious as she began to speak.

"By now you have all realized you don't fit in either the mortal world or Olympus. You have seen far to many things horrific and wonderful things to ever have a normal mortal life while you aren't quite right for godly immortality." She stopped for a moment as if to gauge their reactions before continuing.

"You don't fit in at Camp Half-blood anymore. Too many new kids coming and going. Living and dying. You haven't been campers for years. Even your godly parents are drifting away from you, focusing on their younger children. Its not a reflection of you, it is simply what they do. Nothing could ever change that."

Nico found himself nodding. He had begun noticing these things years ago, it was the main reason he spent so little time at the camp. He had always wondered if the other older demigods felt the same way.

"I now give you the same offer I gave Anastasius so many years ago. Immortality and a role in the world where you can help everyone; gods, demigods, and mortals alike. Its not easy, it never will be. You all understand that already. There are forces, like deathgates, that can take away even immortality. Diokles, Chrysanthos, and Sappheiros all found those forces. I can never offer complete absolutes, but the one thing I can offer you is a place that you will always belong in."

Kaie and Anna both stood. "Take some time to think it over among yourselves. I will send you all back to the camp so you can think it over there." She raised an arm to conjure Mist.

"Wait!" Kaie froze at Clarisse's yell. The daughter of Ares was half out of her chair. "I want it." She reached down to grab Chris' hand. "We want it." They both stood and Clarisse turned to the other demigods. "We talked about leaving the camp when Chris proposed. It's not our place anymore but after the killing and everything else we've seen we didn't know where to go. This is us our answer." Silence fell as the group absorbed Clarisses' words.

As Nico watched the other demigods weigh their options he considered the offer. He wasn't sure if he wanted immortality but he also realized that he couldn't continue the way he had been for years. Time was moving on and leaving him behind.

He also considered Kaie as she watched Connor, Travis, and Katie. He wasn't sure what their future held but who was he to ignore the opportunity?

"I'm in." Connor stood from his chair. "I've got nothing better to do and I always wondered what immortality would be like. Guess I actually get to find out." He glanced down at his twin and Katie as the pair exchanged a glance before standing.

"Us too." Travis bumped fists with his twin.

"Travis and I have been talking about the same things." Katie directed her soft voice at Clarisse but her words were for the entire group. "We've been defined by our parents for our entire lives but we didn't know how to find our own identities. I would like to be something other than just a Daughter of Demeter even though I love her."

Nico found all eyes turn towards him, waiting expectantly. Kaie raised a single eyebrow in question and he nodded once. They both knew words were unnecessary. She took a step towards him and grabbed his hand, their fingers knit together.

Kaie held out her other hand for a moment and a line of concentration appeared between her eyes. As the demigods watched, five plain dark silver ring bands appeared in her palm. Nico felt a sixth shimmer into being around the middle finger on the hand that held onto Kaie.

Offering the bands to the other demigods, Kaie smiled. "This isn't an ending. You can visit Camp Half-blood and Olympus. Nothing from your past life is gone, its just changed because your all changing."

Anna held up a hand, light glinting off a silver band on her own hand that was almost identical to the others. "Its a beginning and trust me when I say it will be unlike anything else."

As the final word fell from her lips, the gods reappeared on their thrones. Faces red with anger. Before any of the could speak though, Kaie took a step forward, pulling Nico with her. She offered the gods a bow, as sarcastic as any motion could be. "It's been lovely but we really must run. Places to go, people to see and all that. See you all next time there is a catastrophe."

Nico felt the pull of Mist travel but it was unlike the other times. This time it was like a mirage wrapped around them. Light moved around him in streaks of shining patterns and vibrant colors, weaving around each other in never ending lines. He realized Anna, Clarisse, Chris, Connor, Travis, and Katie all stood with in a few feet of him and Kaie. It was almost like the group was in a bubble as life moved around them.

Years later, it could have been five or five hundred, Nico realized how important that moment was and what exactly what Anna meant when she said it was a beginning.

* * *

><p><strong>So yeah, this story is finally done after many trials and tribulations. Please review letting me know what you think!<strong>

**The reason I wanted to end it like this was because the main issue I had with the Percy Jackson books was Riordan not giving them a solid conclusion. These characters have seen friends die and killed since they were kids and I always wondered how they weren't perfect examples of PTSD and if they would be able to fit into the world. I created this story to answer a little bit of that question and the character of the Gray Lady was just something I thought up along the way that I could craft the story around.**

**I know Riordan left the story open for the new series but I've always considered a solid conclusion to be one of the hallmarks of a great writer. Tolkien and CS Lewis are both great examples. I am well aware that I will never be at their level but I wanted to take from them and give a solid ending and a beginning to some of my favorite characters. It is very likely that one day Percy, Nico, Annabeth, and the rest will get their new beginning but I am impatient and wanted to give them my own.**

**What ever you think of this story or the questions I tried to address, please let me know it a review!**


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